The 50-year-old actor and YouTuber, who was already charged last year with five offenses including rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault, appeared via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, according to the BBC. The brief hearing lasted around six minutes, during which Brand reportedly spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
The latest charges, filed in December, include one count of rape and one count of sexual assault linked to two separate alleged incidents involving two women in 2009. Court documents cited by the BBC indicate that Brand is due to appear next at Southwark Crown Court on February 17.
These new allegations come eight months after Brand pleaded not guilty to earlier charges consisting of two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault. Those accusations relate to multiple alleged incidents involving four women between 1995 and 2005. A trial for those charges is currently scheduled to begin on June 16 at Southwark Crown Court.
In a statement released in December, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi said that all women who have come forward, including those connected to the most recent charges, continue to receive support from specially trained officers. He added that the investigation remains active and encouraged anyone with relevant information to contact police.
Authorities first launched an investigation into Brand in September 2023 following a joint report by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches. Ahead of the report’s release, Brand posted a video denying all allegations, stating that while he had been “very promiscuous” during that period of his life, all relationships were consensual.
Once a major Hollywood star known for films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Arthur, Brand has more recently built a large online following through his YouTube channel, where he has also drawn criticism for promoting controversial and conspiratorial views.
