Russell Brand, 49, arrives at a London court on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to five sexual offences including rape and indecent assault. Photo / Getty Images
Russell Brand, 49, arrives at a London court on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to five sexual offences including rape and indecent assault. Photo / Getty Images
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to five sexual offences including rape and indecent assault.
Brand, 49, did not speak to reporters as he arrived at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday wearing sunglasses and a dark coat over a black and white pinstriped shirt.
He wasflanked by his lawyer Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky, who successfully defended actor Kevin Spacey against sex assault allegations in 2023.
Brand was charged by post last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four women.
The public gallery at the court was packed with dozens of reporters. Ron Brand, Russell’s father, was also present. Brand walked into the dock, staring straight ahead, before speaking to confirm his name.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Judge Tony Baumgartner, the recorder of Westminster, set a trial date for June 3, 2026. The trial is likely to last about four to five weeks.
A hearing at Westminster magistrates’ court on May 2 was told that the first offence allegedly took place in 1999 after the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
The court heard that Brand met a woman at a theatrical event and they went back to a hotel room. Once in the room, it is alleged that Brand removed the woman’s underwear and raped her.
Russell Brand's trial is set for June 3, 2026, and may last four to five weeks. Photo / Getty Images
The second woman to accuse him was allegedly indecently assaulted while working at a television station in 2001. She claims he grabbed her by the arm and attempted to drag her into a male toilet.
The third woman, who also worked at a TV company, claims she was raped and sexually assaulted by Brand at a party in Soho in 2004. He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her.
At the time, he was working for Channel 4 on Big Brother’s Big Mouth between 2004 and 2005, the court heard. The woman alleges he grabbed her by the face with both hands, pushed her against a wall, “kissed her sloppily” and grabbed her chest and buttocks.
