Comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared before a London court on Friday for multiple positions of sexual assault, including two violation positions.
His 14 minutes in court, Westminster’s magistrates, was the first procedural step largely in what are probably free criminal procedures. It occurred a month after British prosecutors accused Mr. Brand of a position of rape, one or oral violation, two positions of sexual assault and another of the central aggression.
When the letter hearing began, Mr. Brand, 49, stopped inside a box of plexiglass in the courtroom, with an open shirt to show his chest and holding a couple of sunglasses with golden edge. Mr. Brand confirmed his name, date of birth and British address, then listed, without showing any visible emotion, to the details of the charges.
Suki Dhadda, the prosecutor’s main lawyer, said that a woman had accused Mr. Brand to violate her in a hotel room during a British Labor Party conference in 1999. Mrs. Dhabba said that another woman had accused Mr. Brand to violate her in a bathroom in a party.
Dhabba said, another woman accused Mr. Brand to kiss her without her consent while grabbed her breasts and buttocks. The final position referred to a woman who said Brand had tried to take her to a bathroom.
Mr. Brand has denied all charges. In a video posted in his social media accounts in April, he said that “he had never participated in non -agreed activities” and that he hoped to defend himself in court.
At the end of the hearing, Paul Goldspring, the judge, granted Mr. Brand Bail and then said the actor was free to leave. “Thank you,” Brand said and slowly came out.
Mr. Brand then left Couragehouse without talking to journalists, running in a black Mercedes-Benz.
In Britain, the first hearing in a criminal trial, “largely administrative,” said Stuart Nolan de Law Society, an organization that represents British lawyers. It does not imply the entry of any plea, added Nolan.
On Friday, Judge Goldspring sent the case to a superior court, called a crown court, which deals with more serious charges. Mr. Brand’s first hearing in court is scheduled for May 30.
Any trial could start only “one year from now on” because a portfolio of cases in the Judicial System of Great Britain, said Nolan.
Mr. Brand became a star in Great Britain in the early 2000s with successful stand-up programs and appearances as a television and radio presenter. Later, after the period covered by the charges, he also achieved fame in the United States, when he starred in films, including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) and “take him to Greek (2010). He was married to letters with the pop star Katy Perry.
In recent years, Mr. Brand became known for YouTube videos with a conspiracy mentality. Almost seven million users subscribe to their channel, where Mr. Brand has published clips on policy and news events such as the war in Ukraine.
According to British law, the media cannot identify anyone who makes accusations of sexual aggression unless he chooses to renounce their right to anonymity. After charges have been submitted, the strict rules also prevent the report of any information that a jury may preach in the trial.
