By James Simons-
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to two further sexual offences, including rape.
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Brand previously denied two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.
On Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court, the 50-year-old pleaded not guilty to one further count of rape and one of sexual assault, which are both alleged to have taken place in 2009.
Brand has previously 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.
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A trial has been scheduled for June to hear the original charges, and one 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.
Wearing an animal-print shirt with a number of buttons undone and holding a white hat, Brand spoke to confirm his name and his not guilty pleas from the dock.
Russell Brand denies the charges (Jeff Moore/PA)
The two latest charges relate to two further women and are alleged to have taken place in London.
A court previously heard Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet.
He is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker’s face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks.
The other charge of the original five alleges the actor indecently assaulted another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet.
The criminal charges against Brand arose after 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 Grays, 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 subsequently went into the Hollywood movies.
Brand carried a copy of the Bible into the court building before his hearing.
Image: Jeff Moore/PA)
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