The start of a London trial over rape and sexual assault allegations against comedian and actor Russell Brand has been postponed from mid-June to October.
The 50-year-old is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, with six women alleging crimes dating back to 1999 to 2009. Brand has denied all charges.
Last month, he appeared at Southwark Crown Court in central London to plead not guilty to two other alleged incidents with two separate women in the British capital in 2009. The first charges were brought against Brand in April 2025 with alleged crimes against four women.
His trial had so far been scheduled to begin on June 16 at Southwark Crown Court. During a hearing on Monday, Judge Joel Bennathan revealed that the start of the trial had been postponed, saying it would now begin on October 12, Sky News reported. Brand was not present in court during Monday’s hearing, but his lawyer represented him.
At the hearing, the judge formally combined the two sets of charges against Brand into one trial case. Sky News also highlighted that the trial is now set to last longer. Instead of the original plan of up to five weeks, it is now expected to last about two months.
Police began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations, which followed Channel 4 reports. Missionaries and Sunday Times. One of the women said Missionaries That brand entered into a relationship with her when he was 31 and she was 16. She said their relationship lasted three months, and Brand was “emotionally abusive and controlling.” Another claimed that Brand raped her in 2012 at his home in Los Angeles, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. Sunday Times.
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