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Russell Brand pleads not guilty at Southwark Crown Court; more charges added

Russell Brand denied sexual offence charges at a London court in May 2025, and counts involving two more women were later added before a 2026 trial.

5 Nov 2026, 22:251 min read

This summary was written by AI to complete the context; it is not based on a current source.

On 30 May 2025, comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London and pleaded not guilty to the sexual offence charges against him. He had been charged the previous month by the Crown Prosecution Service (the public body that decides prosecutions in England and Wales) after a police investigation.

The original charges related to allegations from four women and covered alleged offences dating from between 1999 and 2005, including rape and sexual assault. The case followed a joint media investigation published in 2023, which first made public allegations of abuse against Brand. He had consistently denied wrongdoing.

After the first hearing, prosecutors added further counts involving two more women, widening the case. A trial date was set for 2026, so the matter stayed before the courts for many months. Because of the proceedings, reporting was restricted to protect the fairness of the trial. The hearing marked the formal start of the court case that ended in the verdicts now being reported.