The exchange lasted only minutes.Russell Brand stood in the dock at Southwark Crown Courton Tuesday, confirmed his name, and entered two more not guilty pleas. Outside, the case continues to widen.
The latest charges concern allegations said to have taken place in London in 2009 and involve two women. They add to five earlier counts spanning 1999 to 2005, all of which Brand denies.
On paper, the hearing was procedural. In reality, it marked another step in a prosecution that now stretches across more than a decade of alleged conduct and six complainants.
When the first charges were authorised last year, the focus was on alleged offences from the early 2000s. Those included one count of rape in Bournemouth, one of oral rape in 2004, an indecent assault in Westminster, and two sexual assaults said to have occurred in London.
Brand pleaded not guilty in May. A trial date was fixed for 3 June 2026.
The addition of two further allegations, relating to 2009, shifts the timeline forward and complicates the court's scheduling. Prosecutors are now considering whether the new counts should be joined to the existing indictment or heard separately. A ruling on that point is expected in March.
If consolidated, the trial would encompass allegations stretching from the late 1990s through the end of that decade.
The public phase of the case began in 2023 afterChannel 4'sDispatches andThe Sunday Timesreported allegations of historic sexual offences. Brand rejected the claims at the time, stating that any relationships he had were consensual.
In April 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed charges had been brought following a police investigation. The CPS said it had concluded there was sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that prosecution was in the public interest.
Brand has consistently denied wrongdoing. In video statements released online, he said he had never engaged in non-consensual activity. He described past behaviour as "promiscuous" but rejected accusations of rape or assault.
Source: International Business Times UK
