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Comedian and actor Russell Brand has appeared in court in London for the first time to face charges of rape and sexual assault in relation to incidents alleged to have taken place at locations including MTV and a Labour party conference.
Brand was charged last month with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving four separate women between 1999 and 2005. The alleged incidents took place in Bournemouth and the Westminster area of London.
The prosecution told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday that the charges included allegations that Brand raped a woman at a Labour party conference in Bournemouth in 1999. The woman had attended the conference as part of her interest in the plight of Muslim women and met Brand at an event there.
The pair chatted and went back to her hotel room where Brand raped her, it is alleged.
The other allegations relate to complaints of indecent assault from a former receptionist at MTV and a sexual assault at a radio station.
Brand, 49, wearing a black open shirt, spoke from the dock only to confirm his name, age and address. His case has been sent to the Old Bailey for a pre-trial hearing on May 30.
The Metropolitan Police said at the time of charging that it had started investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations against him following reporting by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme and The Sunday Times newspaper.
In a post on social media site X on the day he was charged, Brand denied the allegations and said he was “grateful” that he would have the opportunity to defend himself in court.
He said: “I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
He added: “I’m now going to have an opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
Brand arrived at court looking defiant, followed by an entourage of security and other associates, as police officers fended off photographers. The court granted him conditional bail on the basis that he also resides in the US as well as the UK, which could make him more of a flight risk.
