UK comedian and actor Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sex assault charges

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a day ago

British actor-comedian Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty in a London court to charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women more than two decades ago.
Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry, appeared at Southwark Crown Court and denied all five criminal charges on Friday, local time.
He has consistently denied having non-consensual sex since allegations were first aired two years ago.
British prosecutors announced in April that Brand had been charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005.
Prosecutors said the alleged offences took place in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and London.
Brand did not speak to reporters as he arrived at court wearing dark sunglasses, a suit jacket, a black collared shirt open below his chest and black jeans.
The 49-year-old is accused of raping a woman at a hotel room in Bournemouth when she attended a 1999 Labour Party conference and met him at an event where he was performing. The woman alleged that Brand stripped while she was in the bathroom and when she returned to the room he pushed her on the bed, removed her underwear and raped her.
A second woman said Brand allegedly grabbed her forearm and attempted to drag her into a men's toilet at a television station in London in 2001.
The third accuser was a television employee who met Brand at a birthday party in a bar in 2004, where he allegedly grabbed her breasts before pulling her into a toilet and forcing her to perform oral sex.
The final accuser worked at a radio station and met Brand while he was working on a spin-off of the 'Big Brother' reality television program between 2004 and 2005. She said Brand allegedly grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall and kissed her before groping her breasts and buttocks.
The accusers have not been identified.
The UK actor, who previously gave his address as being in England but also lives in the US, is due to stand trial in June 2026.
Brand was granted conditional bail earlier in May, and currently lives in Florida but is obliged to attend all future court appearances. He had been interviewed by police about the allegations.
In a video posted on X in April after he was charged, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.
Known for his unbridled and risque stand-up routines, Brand hosted shows on radio and television and wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol.
In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories.
AP/Reuters