Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to Rape, Sexual Assault Charges

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Russell Brand appeared in a London courtroom today, where he pled not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges.

In 2023, four women have accused Brand of varying acts of sexual misconduct.

Brand was formally charged with rape and sexual assault earlier this year following a lengthy investigation. He promptly issued a statement denying any wrongdoing.

Brand issues not guilty plea, will take chances at trial

Following today’s plea of not guilty, Brand’s trial is set to begin on June 3.

According to NBC News, Brand was joined in court by his attorney, Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky, who successfully defended the actor Kevin Spacey against sex assault allegations in 2023.

The investigation into Brand’s alleged misconduct began in September of 2023, when a report by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times detailed the stories of the five accusers.

One woman stated was raped in 1999 in Bournemouth, southern England; another claimed she was indecently assaulted in London’s Westminster area in 2001; a third that she was orally raped and sexually assaulted in Westminster in 2004; and a fourth said she was sexually assaulted between 2004 and 2005, also in Westminster.

Brand denies any wrongdoing, says all sexual encounters were consensual

Brand — who has grown increasingly extreme in his political views in recent years — claims that he’s being unfairly targeted due to the nature of his content.

“I have never engaged in nonconsensual activity,” he said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) in April, adding, “I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

After starring in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, Brand has recently launched a new career as a right-wing political commentator.

He became an evangelical Christian last year, and he claims his political enemies are persecuting him by exaggerating his behavior during his Hollywood days.

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream … And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” he said on X in September of 2023.

“The relationships I had were very absolutely, always consensual,” he added.

We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.

Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to Rape, Sexual Assault Charges was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.