Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges

Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to two further charges of rape and sexual assault.

The 50-year-old broadcaster, actor and media personality appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London to enter the pleas on Tuesday.

The offences are alleged to have taken place in the city in 2009 and relate to two women, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Brand has previously also pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and two of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences in London and Bournemouth from 1999 to 2005, involving four women.

A trial has been scheduled for June to hear the original charges.

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 needed more time to address the further allegations, Reuters reported.

On Tuesday, he spoke from the dock to confirm his name and his latest not guilty pleas, while wearing a leopard print shirt with several buttons undone and holding a fedora hat.

He carried a copy of the Bible into the court building, with various pages bookmarked.

Detectives began investigating allegations into Brand following reporting by the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4's Dispatches in 2023.

Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations including BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.

He went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek.