Russell Brand granted bail during London court hearing as he’s accused of ‘dragging’ woman to male restroom
Russell Brand has been granted bail after appearing in a London court on rape and sexual assault charges.
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Russell Brand has been granted bail after he arrived at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The comedian-turned-wellness guru, 49, was last month hit with charges of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault, according to the Metropolitan Police.
On Friday, he stood in court for the 12-minute hearing which came after he was accused of dragging another woman towards a male restroom and touching another woman’s breasts without consent, according to new court documents.
The alleged offences are tied to four separate women and took place between 1999 and 2005, cops said.
Brand’s next court appearance is slated for May 30 at the Central Criminal Court at Old Bailey in London.
At Friday’s hearing, Brand said he understood his bail conditions.
Cops opened a sex crimes investigation into Brand in September 2023 – just weeks after The Sunday Times and Channel 4 TV’s documentary show “Dispatches” reported that four women had accused Brand of sexual assault – including one rape that allegedly occurred at his Los Angeles home in 2012 at the height of his Hollywood fame.
Brand, who has been living in the US since February, was also served with a court summons.
Ahead of his court appearance, Brand said in a social media video Wednesday that he was “heading to the UK for what I am assured will be a simple formality.”
“I am absolutely open to and welcome the opportunity to defend myself because my innocence is indefatigable,” he said, adding that “fingers crossed” he would be back in time to stream his daily show on Monday.
In court documents, the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” actor is accused of assaulting a woman in 2001 by “grabbing her arm and dragging her towards a male toilet.”
He is also accused of sexually assaulting another woman in Westminster, London, in 2004, by touching her breasts without her consent. Police said he is also responsible for the alleged oral rape that took place that same year.
Brand allegedly raped another woman Bournemouth in 1999 and assaulting a then-16-year-old girl by forcing her to perform oral sex during a three-month-long relationship.
The then-teen claimed she had to punch the “Get Him to the Greek” actor in the stomach to make him stop, the report alleged.
Another woman, cited in the initial media report, alleged that he sexually assaulted her at his West Hollywood residence after the two met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
In a video shared on social media last month, Brand — who was previously married to pop star Katy Perry — denied the allegations and said he was “never” a rapist.
“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was was a rapist,” he said in a video.
“I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
“I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I’m incredibly grateful for that,” he added.
This story was originally published in The New York Post.
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