Russell Brand’s rape and sexual assault trial has been delayed until Oct. 12 due to time constraints, Mr Justice Bennathan ruled on Monday.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin on June 16 and expected to last for five weeks. However, the Southwark Crown Court judge reportedly determined it could instead last two months, thus his decision to postpone proceedings in order to adequately provide enough time to hear the full case.
The comedian was initially charged with five counts of rape and sexual assault against four women in April 2025: two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He was then charged with an additional count each of rape and sexual assault in December and has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges.
Brand was not present in London court on Monday after being granted bail in January. The pre-trial review was set for May 20 before the latest update.
The investigation into Brand began in September 2023 when his alleged victims publicly spoke out in an exposé about incidents that supposedly took place between 2006 and 2013 (the two newer charges are for incidents that allegedly took place in 2009). He was ultimately charged in April 2025 and has long maintained his innocence.
“I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family — who are just out of shot over there, my beautiful children — I was a fool, man. I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord,” Brand said in a video message at the time. “I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile — but what I never was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
