Russell Brand’s rape trial delayed until October due to summer holidays
The judge said the court would struggle to find jurors who could sit through the start of the summer holidays
Russell Brand’s trial over allegations of rape and sexual assault has been delayed until October.
Listen to this article
The comedian, actor, and podcaster, 50, is accused of three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault, and one allegation of indecent assault, with six women alleging crimes dating from 1999 to 2009.
He denies them all.
Brand was first charged in April 2025 with alleged offences against four of the women, and his trial was set to start on June 16 this year at Southwark Crown Court.
Fresh charges involving two new complainants were brought in January and, at a hearing on Monday, Mr Justice Bennathan agreed to delay the trial until October 12.
Read more: Renoir and Matisse masterpieces worth millions among those stolen in Italian museum heist
Brand was not present in court for Monday’s hearing, but was represented by barrister Ian Winter KC.
The comedian has previously appeared twice at the courthouse to enter not guilty pleas to all the allegations he faces.
The court heard the original trial was scheduled for up to five weeks, but is now expected to last for around two months.
The judge said if Brand’s trial started in mid-June, the court may run out of time to hear it and would struggle to find jurors who could sit through the start of the summer holidays.
At the hearing on Monday, the judge formally joined together the two sets of charges that Brand faces.
A court previously heard the actor is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet.
He is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker’s face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks.
Brand donned a liberally unbuttoned animal print shirt and white hat for his last court appearance, where he held on to a Bible as he entered the court building.
During a showbiz career which started in the 90s, Brand was one of Britain’s best-known stand-up comedians and presented Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
He starred in a host of Hollywood films, and was married to US pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012.
In recent years, Brand has pivoted to podcasting and online influencing, and he is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty.
Brand, who has a home in Buckinghamshire but now lives in the United States, has been granted bail during the criminal proceedings.
A further two-day pre-trial hearing in his case has been set for June 16 and 17.