Comedian Russell Brand appears in court on rape and sex assault charges

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - British actor and comedian Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Friday to face charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault in cases relating to four separate women more than two decades ago.

Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and former husband of U.S. pop singer Katy Perry, has consistently denied having non-consensual sex since allegations about him were first aired two years ago.

The 49-year-old, wearing sunglasses and a dark shirt unbuttoned to his chest, made his way through a throng of reporters into Westminster Magistrates' Court without speaking.

In the dock, he was read the charges of rape, oral rape, indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault involving the four women between 1999 and 2005.

He stared ahead as prosecutor Suki Dhadda detailed a summary of the charges which involved offences that allegedly took place at a Labour Party conference, in a London bar, in an office building, and one at a time when he was working on the hit reality TV show ‘Big Brother’.

He did not enter a plea, and spoke only to confirm his name and address and to thank the judge, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, when he said he was free to leave on conditional bail until his next hearing at London's Old Bailey court on May 30.

Two of the women worked for a TV company while another was a radio station employee, the prosecutor said.

Brand, who gave his address as Henley, west of London, but also lives in the U.S., left the court without commenting.

PREVIOUS DENIAL

After the charges were first announced last month, Brand said in a video statement on social media that in his younger days, before getting married and having children, he had been a fool and a sex addict but "what I never was, was a rapist".

In the 2000s, Brand was a regular on British screens, known for his flamboyant style and appearance. He worked for the BBC and starred in a number of films including "Get Him to the Greek" before marrying Perry in 2010. They divorced 14 months later.

By the early 2020s, he had faded from mainstream culture, appearing primarily on his internet channel where he airs his views on U.S. politics and free speech.

In September 2023, the Sunday Times and Channel 4 TV's "Dispatches" show reported allegations of sex offences against him. Police began investigating some weeks later.

Brand, who said last year he had become a Christian, rejected those accusations.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Gareth Jones, William Maclean)