Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges

On 3 June 2025, the comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London and pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. They included rape, indecent assault and sexual assault, and related to alleged offences against several women.

The charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (England and Wales's public prosecutor) in April 2025 and concerned alleged incidents between 1999 and 2005, at the height of Brand's career in radio, television and film. Police had begun investigating after newspaper and television reports in September 2023 in which women made allegations against him. Brand had consistently denied wrongdoing.

At the hearing the judge set a trial date in June 2026, meaning the case would take about a year to reach a jury. Brand was released on bail with conditions in the meantime. The plea mattered because it formally set the case on course for a contested jury trial, in which prosecutors would have to prove the allegations and Brand's defence could challenge them.