UK comic Russell Brand pleads not guilty to new rape, sex assault charges
Al Jazeera
Appearing in a London court, Brand denies accusations of raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in 2009.
British comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to two further charges of rape and sexual assault nearly two decades ago.
Brand appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday and denied accusations of raping one woman and sexually assaulting a second woman in 2009.
Once one of the United Kingdom’s most high-profile broadcasters, he was charged last year with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005.
Brand pleaded not guilty in May last year to those five charges and is due to stand trial in June. A hearing will be held next month to decide whether the new allegations should be joined to that case, with Brand’s lawyer saying his client needs more time to address the latest offences.
“These new charges are in relation to two further women and are in addition to the charges issued to Brand in April 2025, which involved four women,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement in December.
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