Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges

LONDON (TNND) — British actor and comedian Russell Brand pleaded not guilty on Friday to rape and sexual assault charges in connection to four different women.

He denied two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault in Southwark Crown Court.

A trial was scheduled for June 3, 2026, and is expected to last four to five weeks.

Detectives said they began investigating the 50-year-old in September 2023 after receiving several allegations following reports by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times.

He is accused of the following actions:

• In 1999 a woman was raped in the Bournemouth area
• In 2001 a woman was indecently assaulted in the Westminster area of London
• In 2004 a woman was orally raped and sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London
• Between 2004 and 2005, a woman was sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London

When the charges were announced in April, Brand said in a video on X that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.

“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord,” he said. “I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile. But what I never was was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”