British comedian and actor Russell Brand was granted conditional bail during a court appearance on Friday, after he was charged last month with rape and sexual assault.
London’s Metropolitan Police charged Brand, 49, with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, and one count of oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault. The charges relate to four separate women.
The alleged incidents took place between 1999 and 2005. He has denied the allegations.
The hearing, which gave further details around the allegations that Brand is facing, took place at Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London. Brand spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood the bail conditions.
He is now due to appear at the Old Bailey court in the British capital on May 30.
The Metropolitan Police described Brand as living in southern England when announcing the charges in April. However British news agency PA Media has previously reported that he is now understood to live in the United States.
Detectives began investigating the comedian, who more recently has repositioned himself as a social commentator, in September 2023 after receiving allegations following a joint investigation led by three British media outlets – The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4’s “Dispatches.”
According to the Metropolitan Police, it is alleged that one woman was raped in 1999 in Bournemouth, southern England; one woman was indecently assaulted in London’s Westminster area in 2001; a woman was orally raped and sexually assaulted in Westminster in 2004; and a woman was sexually assaulted between 2004 and 2005, also in Westminster.
Brand has appeared in numerous Hollywood films and hosted radio and TV shows in the United Kingdom. He was married to US pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.
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