Latest news with #sexualAssault
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Comedian and actor Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault. The 49-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court on Friday flanked by two officers, where he stood stock-still and looked straight ahead as he delivered his pleas. He is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker's breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet. Brand is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker's face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks. The final charge alleges the actor indecently assaulted another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet. The allegations against Brand are said to have taken place against four women between 1999 and 2005. The defendant, of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who faces one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, is due to stand trial on June 3 next year at the same court. He was granted conditional bail to appear for a pre-trial review hearing on May 20 next year. Arriving at court, Brand held a book in his hand and looked straight ahead without taking questions from reporters. As Friday's hearing finished, the comedian replaced his sunglasses before exiting the dock and calmly walked past reporters. He was charged following an investigation by Channel 4 and the Sunday Times in which several women made allegations against him. Brand previously told his 11.2 million followers on X that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence. He presented a BBC Radio 2 show between 2006 and 2008 but left after an on-air prank which saw him leave a 'lewd' voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter. Brand also presented Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother's Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack. He was married to US pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012 and is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, and the pair have two children, Mabel and Peggy.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Comedian Russell Brand denies rape and sex assault charges in UK court
British actor and comedian Russell Brand pleaded not guilty in a London court on Friday to charges of rape and sexual assault relating to four women more than two decades ago. Advertisement Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry, appeared at Southwark Crown Court and denied all five criminal charges. The 49-year-old 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. Brand, who previously gave his address as being in England but also lives in the US, is due to stand trial in June 2026. Russell Brand (left) and his now ex-wife, US pop singer Katy Perry in 2010. Photo: AP He spoke only to confirm his name and enter his five not guilty pleas, before leaving the court with his lawyer and some companions.
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Comedian and actor Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault. The 49-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court on Friday flanked by two officers, where he stood stock-still and looked straight ahead as he delivered his pleas. Advertisement He is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference, and grabbing a TV worker's breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet. Brand is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker's face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks. Russell Brand arriving at Southwark Crown Court on Friday (Yui Mok/PA) The final charge alleges the actor indecently assaulted another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet. The allegations against Brand are said to have taken place against four women between 1999 and 2005. Advertisement The defendant, of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who faces one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, is due to stand trial on June 3 next year at the same court. As Friday's hearing finished, the comedian replaced his sunglasses before exiting the dock and calmly walked past reporters. He was charged following an investigation by Channel 4 and the Sunday Times in which several women made allegations against him. Brand previously told his 11.2 million followers on X that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence. Advertisement
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Russell Brand pleads not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault in London court
LONDON — Actor and comedian Russell Brand pleaded not guilty in a London court Friday to rape and sexual assault charges involving four women dating back more than 25 years. Brand, who turns 50 next week, denied two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How women's advocates are using the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial to talk to players about consent
A month after the start of the high-profile sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players in London, Ont., advocates against gender-based violence are using the proceedings to teach young men about consent and their responsibilities as role models for others. "I think for young men and for hockey players, they're watching what these five defendants have gone through and they won't want to be in that position," said Allison Preyde, the manager of prevention and education at Anova, the gender-based violence centre in London. "They don't want to be dragged through that to put their careers on the line so we're having conversations about how to make situations safer and what situations aren't worth the risk." Former hockey teammates Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are each charged with sexual assault. McLeod is additionally charged with being a party to the offence. In June 2018, they were in London for a gala to celebrate their teams' world junior gold medal win earlier that year. After a night of drinking at a local bar, McLeod went home with a woman, known in court proceedings as E.M., for consensual sex. He later invited his teammates to his room to have sexual relations with the woman, something she says she didn't consent to. Their trial started April 22 and included the nine-day testimony and cross-examination by five defence teams of E.M., who said she at times went along with what the men wanted because she was scared and had never been in a similar situation. In the witness box, she described her mind separating from her body as a coping mechanism. Evidence presented at trial included text messages sent by McLeod inviting his teammates to his hotel room for group sex, and the players texting each other in the days and weeks following the incident when police and Hockey Canada began investigating, assuring each other that they did nothing wrong. Consent, the Crown has said, is at the heart of the case. "We talk a lot about power imbalances, and how that power can be used for good because our position is that athletes are not bad or that sports are bad," said Hanna McGee, the Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Saffron Centre, a sexual assault centre in Sherwood Park, Alberta. McGee developed a program called Consent in Sport, which delivers education to athletes as young as 13, including those in the British Columbia Hockey League. "Often, athletes don't even realize the significance of their social status, their influence, even in small communities where they're highly regarded and treated like celebrities. With a lot of that power comes a lot of responsibility," McGee said. Being on a sports team can mean making friends for life, but can also make it difficult to speak up and stop negative behaviour, McGee said. "It's absolutely crucial in the world of sports to be able to lean on our teammates and lean on our coaches. But it can turn into a harmful groupthink, where we can deflect responsibility, we can act without autonomy, we can blame others for our actions. How you act and carry yourself is going to follow you forever," she said. "The trial provides an opportunity for us to really think about the significance of impact over intent and thinking about consent being truly freely given and truly ongoing." In 2016, the Ontario Hockey League launched a program called Onside, which consists of a two-hour mandatory training program that teaches players and team staff about their responsibility to demonstrate respect for women. Local sexual assault and gender-based violence centres are supposed to deliver the course to OHL teams. But Preyde, who has delivered the Onside seminar to members of the London Knights junior hockey team in the past, said consent training has to start much earlier. "Particularly for people who are in the culture of sports and in locker rooms, having those conversations as early as possible is key," she said. "We need to get them thinking about, 'What does consent mean? What is healthy? What is not healthy? What does it mean to be a good friend? 'The lack of that conversation early on really sets up junior hockey players for a really touch time, not just as people who are potentially assaulting, but for people who are at risk of assault, too."
