UK comic Russell Brand pleads not guilty to new rape, sex assault charges

Appearing in a London court, Brand denies accusations of raping one woman ​and sexually assaulting another in 2009.Published On 24 Feb 2026British comedian and actor Russell Brand ⁠has pleaded not guilty to two further charges of rape and sexual assault nearly ⁠two decades ago.Brand appeared at Southwark Crown ⁠Court in London on Tuesday and denied accusations of raping one woman and sexually assaulting a second woman in 2009.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UK police say comedian Russell Brand charged with two more sex offenceslist 2 of 4Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assaultlist 3 of 4Sex assault claims against Russell Brand being investigated, UK police sayslist 4 of 4Russell Brand never hid his misogyny. So why did so many fail to see it?end of listOnce one of the United Kingdom’s most high-profile broadcasters, he was charged last year with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two ‌counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005.Brand pleaded not guilty in May last year to those five charges and is due to stand trial in June. 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 needs more time to address ⁠the latest offences.“These new charges are in relation to two further women and are in addition to the charges issued to Brand in April 2025, which involved four women,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement in December.Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court in south London [Adrian Dennis/AFP]Brand, 50, arrived at court wearing a white cowboy hat and sunglasses. Asked how he was feeling, the actor, who said in 2024 he had become ⁠a Christian, told reporters he was feeling “blessed”.Born in 1975 to working-class parents in Essex, east of London, Brand began his stand-up career as a teenager, eventually working as an MTV presenter and host of a reality TV series.A regular on British screens in the ⁠2000s, he was known for his flamboyant ⁠style and appearance. He also worked as a radio presenter for the BBC.