Russell Brand received out of a glossy black Mercedes on Friday and took his first steps towards a courtroom the place he faces expenses of rape and sexual assault in a scene far faraway from a stroll down a Hollywood pink carpet.
The actor-comedian, carrying a black collared shirt open to his midsection and sporting a gold cross, was rapidly mobbed by cameras. He stood bolt upright and paced slowly ahead via a crush of media and onlookers, protected by a hoop of bodyguards and uniformed law enforcement officials.
The comic, creator and “Get Him To The Greek” actor gave a thumbs-up movement as he entered Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London. His wavy locks flowed to his shoulders, his beard was peppered with grey and he wore a pair of gold-framed sun shades, black denims and brown boots.
Inside a packed courtroom, Brand stood within the dock and confirmed his identify, delivery date and deal with through the temporary listening to and was granted conditional bail after a prosecutor learn a abstract of complaints made by 4 ladies that date again 1 / 4 century.
Brand, 49, was charged final month with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one depend of indecent assault. He didn’t enter a plea, and has beforehand denied the allegations made in opposition to him.
The alleged offenses happened between 1999 and 2005 — one within the English seaside city of Bournemouth and the opposite three in London. The Associated Press doesn’t identify victims of alleged sexual violence, and the British regulation grants them lifelong anonymity within the media.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ordered Brand to indicate up on the Central Criminal Court, generally known as the Old Bailey, on May 30 and granted him bail on the situation that he retains the courtroom knowledgeable of the place he’s staying, both within the U.Okay. or within the U.S.
He at the moment lives in Florida, however is obliged to attend all future courtroom appearances. If he doesn’t abide by the circumstances, he faces being jailed.
Prosecutor Suki Dhadda stated that Brand raped a lady in 1999 at a resort room in Bournemouth when she attended a Labour Party convention within the city and met him at an occasion the place he was performing. It’s alleged that whereas the girl went to the toilet, Brand eliminated a few of his clothes and later pushed her on the mattress, eliminated her underwear and raped her.
A second girl accused Brand of grabbing her by the forearm and making an attempt to pull her right into a male bathroom at a tv station in London in 2001.
A 3rd accuser was a tv employee who met Brand at a good friend’s birthday celebration at a bar in Soho in 2004. He is accused of grabbing her breasts earlier than allegedly pulling her into a rest room and forcing her to carry out oral intercourse.
The remaining complainant labored at a radio station and met Brand whereas he was engaged on a spin-off of the “Big Brother” actuality tv program between 2004 and 2005. Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with each arms, pushed her in opposition to a wall and kissed her earlier than grabbing her breasts and buttocks.
The expenses observe a September 2023 joint investigation by British media retailers Channel 4 and the Sunday Times.
Brand denied the allegations after they first surfaced . On the day that he was charged final month, he posted a video saying he welcomed the chance to show his innocence.
“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the lord,” he stated. “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.”
Known for his unbridled and risqué stand-up routines, Brand hosted reveals on radio and tv and wrote memoirs charting his battles with medication and alcohol. He has appeared in a number of Hollywood motion pictures and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
In current years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media, however has constructed up a big following on-line with movies mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. He lately stated that he had moved to the United States.
Jill Lawless contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.