Russell Brand pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of rape and sexual assault at a London courthouse Friday, May 30, The New York Times reports.
The hearing lasted just 10 minutes, during which Brand reportedly stood in a plexiglass box at the back of the courtroom and responded to each charge against him with “Not guilty.” The judge then scheduled June 3, 2026, as the start date for Brand’s trial, estimating the trial would last about four to five weeks.
Brand is facing five counts: Rape, oral rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one charge of indecent assault. The charges stem from alleged incidents with four women that occurred between 1999 and 2005.
At a hearing earlier this month, Brand was granted conditional bail, which requires him to keep the court informed about his whereabouts, whether he’s staying in the U.K. or the U.S. (the comedian and YouTuber primarily lives in Florida). He also must attend all future court hearings, and any violations could potentially lead to being taken into custody.
At the May 2 hearing, prosecutors detailed the charges against Brand. He’s accused of raping a woman in 1999 at a hotel room in Bournemouth after a Labour Party conference, while a second woman accused him of grabbing her by the forearm and trying to drag her into a TV station bathroom in 2001. A third woman alleged that Brand grabbed her breast, pulled her into a bathroom, and orally raped her in 2004. And the fourth woman, who met Brand while working on a Big Brother spin-off between 2004 and 2005, claimed he grabbed her by the face, pushed her against a wall, kissed her, and grabbed her breasts and buttocks.
The Metropolitan Police opened their investigation into Brand in September 2023 after the allegations against him were first reported publicly in The Times and Channel 4’s investigative show, Dispatches.
Brand has repeatedly denied all allegations against him. In a video posted to social media in April after he was charged, he said, “I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family … I was a fool, man. 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. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
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