Russell Brand has been granted bail and left Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, after facing charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault.
The broadcaster, comedian and actor faces one allegation of rape, one allegation of indecent assault, one of oral rape and two further counts of sexual assault, relating to four separate women.
Photographers surrounded his car as he arrived, and he did not speak to the reporters gathered outside the court building.
Surrounded by cameras and microphones, it took him more than two minutes to walk the short distance to the court door, passing alongside blocks of photographers, who were flanked by police officers.
Brand confirmed his name and address in court, and that he is aged 49.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a woman by touching her breasts and indecently assaulting another by grabbing her arm and dragging her towards a male toilet.
Brand, who was asked to stand in court for the 12-minute hearing, did not enter a plea.
He was charged by post last month.
The case will be heard at the Old Bailey.
His next court appearance will be 30 May, and he confirmed during the hearing that he understood his bail conditions.
Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a stand-up comedian, performing at the Hackney Empire in 2000 and later the Edinburgh Fringe.
He later moved into broadcasting, hosting national television and radio programmes.
The turning point in his career came in the mid-2000s, when he hosted Big Brother’s Big Mouth, a companion show to the hugely popular reality series Big Brother.
It provided the springboard he was looking for and led to him becoming one of the most sought-after presenters in the UK.
Brand went on to host the NME, MTV and Brit awards ceremonies, had his own debate series by E4, and fronted the UK leg of charity concert Live Earth.
His career included hosting radio shows on the BBC, in particular for 6 Music and Radio 2, between 2006 and 2008.
Brand released a video in April in which he said he had never engaged in non-consensual activity and was grateful for the opportunity to defend the charges in court.
The case follows an investigation by the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches in September 2023, which revealed multiple serious allegations against him.
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Featured photo: Lucy North/PA/AP
Source: BBC
