Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to New Sexual Assault Charges in London
Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to New Sexual Assault Charges in London
Russell Brand pleads not guilty to two additional charges in London, as prosecutors weigh whether to fold them into the June trial over earlier charges.
Russell Brand appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, February 24, to plead not guilty to two new charges of rape and sexual assault, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Wearing a dark suit, Brand stood in a plexiglass dock to confirm his identity as the clerk outlined the allegations, both from 2009. The additional charges were filed late last year after two more women came forward.
These new charges come on top of five charges Brand already faces from an April 2025 indictment. Those charges involve four women and include two counts of rape, one of indecent exposure, and two of sexual assault, with alleged incidents spanning 1995 to 2005. Brand has pleaded not guilty to those as well. His June trial for the original five charges is scheduled to last four to five weeks, but it is not yet decided whether the new 2009 charges will be included in that trial.
At the hearing, Judge Joel Bennathan said the matter would be decided later after discussions between prosecution and defense. The Metropolitan Police began investigating Brand in 2023 after several women spoke to The Times and Channel 4s Dispatches; Brand has repeatedly denied the allegations. In April, he posted a video acknowledging his past as a drug addict and sex addict, saying he was a fool before living in the light of the Lord.
The case has drawn wide attention as prosecutors navigate whether the two new charges will be joined with the June trial or heard separately, potentially extending a courtroom timeline for a case that has already attracted intense public scrutiny.
