Russell Brand granted bail after court hears comedian ‘raped woman in hotel room'

Independent

02-05-2025

Russell Brand has been granted bail after a court heard he allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room when she attended a Labour Party conference.
The comedian and actor appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday after flying back to the UK from the US for the hearing.
The 49-year-old spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood his bail conditions during the short hearing.
Brand, wearing an open shirt and jeans and holding his sunglasses behind his back, listened intently to the details of the charges as he sat in the dock.
He was charged by post last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four separate women.
The court heard that Brand allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room when she attended a Labour Party conference.
Following a theatrical event in Bournemouth in 1999, it is alleged that while the woman went to the bathroom, Brand removed some of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear and raped her.
The court heard another of Brand's alleged victims, who accuses him of indecent assault, is alleged to have been grabbed by her forearm by the actor as he attempted to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in 2001.
The court heard the third alleged victim was a television worker Brand met in Soho in 2004.
He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her.
The final complainant is a radio station worker who met Brand while he was working for Channel 4 on Big Brother's Big Mouth between 2004 and 2005, the court heard.
Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks.
A criminal probe was launched after a joint investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times in September 2023, in which several women accused Brand of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse.
Press surrounded Brand's car as it arrived on Marylebone Road, as he arrived wearing sunglasses and a navy open-buttoned shirt.
He did not speak to reporters as he walked the short distance into the court - which took over two minutes as he moved through photographers attempting to take his picture.
In a video previously posted on his X account, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence. He will appear at the Old Bailey on May 30.
Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a comedian and media personality in the noughties.
Through the decade, he became a household name as he presented Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother's Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
He also hosted a BBC Radio 2 show between 2006 and 2008. before he left the role following an on-air prank in which he left a 'lewd' voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.
He now lives in the US with his wife Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, with their two children.
More about
Russell Brand