Russell Brand pleaded not guilty to two new sexual assault charges at a London courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 24, The New York Times reports.
The comedian and YouTuber appeared at Southwark Crown Court, where he stood in a plexiglass box, confirmed his name, and listened as a clerk read out some of the details of the new charges, one for rape, one for sexual assault. Brand then entered his not guilty plea.
The Crown Prosecution Service brought the additional charges against Brand late last year after two new women came forward. The alleged incidents are believed to have occurred in 2009.
The new charges were filed on top of the five brought against Brand in April 2025. Those charges involved four women and included two counts of rape, one of indecent exposure, and two of sexual assault. Authorities claim the alleged incidents occurred between 1995 and 2005. Brand has also pleaded not guilty to those.
Brand’s trial on the five original charges is set to begin in June and is expected to last four to five weeks. Whether the new charges will be incorporated into the upcoming trial remains undecided. At Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Joel Bennathan discussed the matter with the prosecution and defense, with both sides agreeing to decide at a later date.
The Metropolitan Police began investigating Brand in 2023 after several women accused him of misconduct in The Times and Channel 4’s investigative show, Dispatches. Brand has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. In April, he posted a video saying, “I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile. But what I never was, was a rapist.”
From Rolling Stone US
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