Russell Brand arrives at court ahead of trial after being charged with rape and sexual assault

Published: 05:05 EDT, 6 October 2026 | Updated: 05:06 EDT, 6 October 2026 Russell Brand has arrived at court ahead of his trial on charges of rape and sexual assault.The comedian and actor, 51, was pictured outside Southwark Crown Court in London.Brand was charged in April 2025 with one count of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault.A further two charges, one of rape and one of sexual assault, were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service last December.Brand has denied the allegations and previously said in a video he shared online: 'I'm now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I'm incredibly grateful for that.'Brand has performed as a stand-up comic and podcaster as well as presenting shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth and acting in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek. After being married to US pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012, he has been wed to Laura Gallacher - sister of sports presenter Kirsty - since 2017 and the couple have three children together. Brand, who has a home in Florida, earlier this year sold the historic Crown Inn near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, which he had previously planned to partially turn into a recording studio for his social media broadcasts. Russell Brand has arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday 6 October ahead of his trial Brand arrived on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court in a black Mercedes for the first of two days of pre-trial hearings Brand, 51, faces seven charges including rape and sexual assault which he deniesBrand arrived on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court in a black Mercedes for the first of two days of pre-trial hearings.Wearing a grey suit jacket and sunglasses, Brand was flanked by a security guard and accompanied by a woman as he walked slowly past waiting news photographers.He stayed silent on his entry to court, for the start of two days of legal argument scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.His trial is due to begin next Monday, with the case expected to last up to 10 weeks. Court filings have accused him of raping a woman in a hotel room during a political conference, pinning another woman against a wall at a London radio station before allegedly groping her, and orally raping a woman during a birthday party at a Westminster bar.He is accused of raping a woman at a hotel room in Bournemouth as she attended a Labour Party conference in 1999, and grabbing the breasts of a TV worker before orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet in 2004.Brand also faces claims he grabbed the face of a radio station worker, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her buttocks and breasts.When previously attending a hearing at Southwark Crown Court, Brand carried a bible and donned an unbuttoned animal print shirt and white hat.When asked how he felt outside court, he told reporters: 'Blessed.'Brand has repeatedly denied all allegations and insisted he never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.In a social media post in April last year, he said: 'I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord.'I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile.'But what I never was was a rapist. I've never engaged in non-consensual activity.'