Russell Brand reaches London court for first hearing on rape, sexual assault case
London: Actor-comedian Russell Brand reached the London's Westminster Magistrates Court to face charges of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police.
Brand arrived wearing sunglasses, an open black shirt and slim-fitting trousers. He remained quiet as he entered the building, reports variety.com.
Inside the courtroom, Brand confirmed his name and date of birth before the individual charges were read out.
The first hearing is expected to see the case, given the serious nature of the accusations, referred to the Crown Court for a trial to start at a later date, reports variety.com.
The charges, which were bought last month, relate to four separate women and incidents that took place between 1999 and 2005.
Among them are the claims that in 1999 a woman was raped in the Bournemouth area of the UK, that a woman was indecently assaulted in the Westminster area of London in 2001 and that a woman was orally raped and sexually assaulted in 2004, also in the Westminster area.
Between 2004 and 2005, it's also reported that a woman was sexually assaulted in the Westminster area.
Brand has previously denied allegations against him and said that all his relationships were consensual.
At the time the charges were brought, the police said they had begun their investigations in late September having received several allegations in the wake of a major expose undertaken by 'Dispatches' documentary series and the Sunday Times.
After the news of the charges came out, Brand addressed the claims on social media via video.
'When I was young and single, before I had my wife and family, I was a fool, was a fool before I lived in the light of the lord, I was a drug addict, sex addict and an imbecile. But I never was a rapist. I've never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.'
The expose that took place in 2023, included a 90-minute documentary and article in the Sunday Times, saw Brand accused of 'rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse.'
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