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Russell Brand has appeared in court for the first time to face accusations of rape and sexual assault.
The comedian and actor appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday after flying back to the UK from the US for the hearing.
The 49-year-old was granted bail after speaking only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood his bail conditions during the short hearing.
Brand, wearing an open shirt and jeans and holding his sunglasses behind his back, listened intently to the details of the charges as he sat in the dock.
He was charged by post last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault.
The allegations relate to incidents between 1999 and 2005 and involve four women.
A criminal probe was launched after a joint investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times in September 2023, in which several women accused Brand of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse.
Brand, of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, will appear at the Old Bailey on May 30.
The 49-year-old did not speak to reporters as he walked into court in London.
Photographers surrounded Brand’s car as it arrived on Marylebone Road, as he arrived wearing sunglasses and a navy open-buttoned shirt.
Brand presented a BBC Radio 2 show between 2006 and 2008 before he left the role following an on-air prank in which he left a “lewd” voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.
He also presented on Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack in the noughties.
He now lives in the US with his wife Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, with their two children.
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English (US) ·