Russell Brand granted bail after appearing in court on sexual assault charges

Comedian and actor Russell Brand has appeared in court in London facing multiple sexual assault charges.

Russell Brand raped a woman in a hotel, dragged another into a toilet and “sloppily” kissed a radio worker, a court heard.

The TV and film comic is accused of two counts of rape between 1999 and 2005 in Westminster and London, reports The Sun.

British actor and comedian Russell Brand arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London. Picture: Benjamin Cremel/AFP

Brand, 49, is also charged with two charges of sexual assault, and a count of indecent assault during the same dates.

He arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning for a first appearance wearing an open-buttoned black shirt and sunglasses.

The star sat in the glass dock where he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

He was released on unconditional bail to next appear at the Old Bailey on May 30.

A huge media pack was waiting out the front. Picture: Benjamin Cremel/AFP

The court was told Brand allegedly raped one woman in a Bournemouth hotel in 1999 after meeting her at an event where he was performing.

The court heard he grabbed another woman’s breasts at a party in Soho before pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her in 2004.

Brand is also accused of grabbing a radio worker by the face and kissing her “sloppily” against a wall before she pushed him away.

Brand is understood to have been hidden the back seat of a chauffeur-driven car this morning as he made his way to court.

He flew in from Florida in the US yesterday after last month being charged by post.

The Met Police launched a probe into the TV presenter in September 2023 after The Sunday Times and UK station Channel 4’s Dispatches program published an investigation into allegations over his treatment of women.

He has denied the allegations against him. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

Following the charge, Brand told his 11.3 million X followers that he was “never a rapist”.

He added: “I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single, before I had a wife and family… I was a fool, man.

“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord… I have never engaged in non consensual activity, I pray you can see that by looking in my eyes.”

At the height of his fame, Brand starred in a number of Hollywood films, including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.

He was also an in-demand stand-up comic and presented on UK Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.

Brand presented a BBC Radio 2 show between 2006 and 2008 but was forced to resign after he left a “lewd” voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.

He has in recent years reinvented himself as an anti-woke political podcaster after splitting his time between the US and UK.

Brand, who was previously married to pop star Katy Perry, shares three children with his wife, Laura Gallacher, 37.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Russell Brand granted bail after appearing in court on sexual assault charges