Russell Brand has been granted bail after appearing at court in London today (Friday, May 2) charged with rape, sexual assault and indecent assault.
Brand, 49, 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, in connection with incidents involving four different women that took place between 1999 and 2005.
The allegations were first made in a joint The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation in September 2003.
According to BBC News, Brand attended a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, before senior district judge Paul Goldspring. Brand spoke to confirm his name, date of birth, and address, and confirmed to the judge that he understood his bail conditions.
The judge referred the case up to the Crown Court, and told Brand he must attend court on May 30.
Brand denies the allegations. He said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity.”
In a video posted to social media today before the hearing, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.
Brand is charged with the rape of a woman in 1999 in the Bournemouth area and the oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of London.
The 2004 sexual assault charge alleges the actor touched the woman’s breasts without her consent.
He is also accused of indecently assaulting a woman in 2001 by “grabbing her arm and dragging her towards a male toilet” and sexually assaulting another woman between 2004 and 2005. Both offences are alleged to have taken place in Westminster, London.
After finding success as a stand-up comedian and TV presenter, Brand established a successful Hollywood career in comedies including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him To The Greek and leading a 2011 remake of Steve Gordon’s Arthur. Now living in the US, he has not had on-screen film roles since 2022.
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