Comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Friday facing several sexual assault charges, which include two counts of rape.
This appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court was mainly procedural, marking the initial step in what is expected to be a prolonged criminal process. It follows a month after British prosecutors charged Mr. Brand with one count of rape, one count of oral rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
According to a statement from prosecutors last month, the charges stem from “reported historical offenses between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.”
Documents from Friday’s court session indicated that one of the sexual assault allegations involved a woman claiming that Mr. Brand had touched her breasts, while the indecent assault charge was related to a woman who said that he had pulled her towards a men’s restroom.
Mr. Brand has denied all allegations against him. In a video shared on his social media in April, he stated that he had “never participated in nonconsensual activity” and expressed eagerness to defend himself in court.
The initial session of a criminal trial in Britain is typically “mainly administrative,” according to Stuart Nolan from the Law Society, which represents British lawyers. On Friday, Mr. Nolan noted that the judge would refer the case to a higher court known as a crown court, which handles more serious cases.
Furthermore, Mr. Brand would be required to confirm his name, address, and date of birth, but he would not enter a plea at this stage, Mr. Nolan explained.
A plea hearing is anticipated to take place within about a month, but Mr. Nolan mentioned that the actual trial might not commence “for another year” due to the backlog in Britain’s court system.
Mr. Brand rose to fame in the early 2000s in the UK with popular stand-up performances and as a TV and radio presenter. Later, he gained recognition in the U.S. for movies such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) and “Get Him to the Greek” (2010). He was also briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
Recently, Mr. Brand has become more recognized for his conspiracy-themed YouTube content. His channel has nearly seven million subscribers, where he shares videos discussing politics and current events, including the war in Ukraine.
Under UK law, media outlets are not allowed to reveal the identity of individuals making sexual assault allegations unless those individuals choose to give up their anonymity. After charges are brought, strict regulations prevent reporting any information that could influence a jury during the trial.
