The actor and actor Russell Brand appeared on Friday before a London court for several charges of sexual assault, including two rape leaders.
His appearance before the Westminster Court of First Instance was the first large -part procedure, in what is likely to be long criminal procedures. This occurs a month after British prosecutors accused Mr. Brand of a rape chief, one of oral rape, two chiefs of sexual assault and another of indecent assault.
The prosecutors said in a press release last month that the accusations linked to “non -recent offenses reported between 1999 and 2005, involving four women”.
The court documents linked to the hearing on Friday showed that one of the accusations of sexual assault concerned a woman saying that Mr. Brand had touched her breasts and that the accusation of indecent assault involved a woman saying that Mr. Brand had dragged her towards a male toilet.
Mr. Brand denied all the charges. In a video published on his social media accounts in April, he declared that he had “never engaged in a non -consensual activity” and that he was eager to defend himself in court.
In Great Britain, the first hearing in a criminal trial is “largely administrative”, said Stuart Nolan de la Barreuse, an organization representing British lawyers. Nolan said Friday that the judge simply refers the case to a superior court, called Crown Court, which deals with more serious offenses.
Mr. Brand would also be invited to confirm his name, address and date of birth, but would not appeal to a plea, added Mr. Nolan.
A advocacy hearing would occur in about a month, said Nolan, but the real trial could start “in a year” due to a backdrop in the British judicial system.
Mr. Brand became a star in Great Britain in the early 2000s with successful stand-up shows and appearances as a television and radio host. Later, after the period covered by the accusations, he also reached fame in the United States, when he played in films, notably “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) and “Get Hui to the Greek (2010). He was briefly married to Pop Star Katy Perry.
In recent years, Mr. Brand has become better known for YouTube videos concerned with conspiracy. Nearly seven million users subscribe to his channel, where Mr. Brand has published clips on news policy and events such as the war in Ukraine.
Under British law, the media cannot identify anyone who carries accusations of sexual assault unless you choose to give up your right to anonymity. Once the accusations have been filed, strict rules also prevent the declaration of any information that could harm a jury at the trial.
