Russell Brand Charged with Further Rape and Sexual Assault Offenses as Case Expands to 6 Women By Christina Coulter 24

Russell Brand has been charged with two further sex offenses — one count of rape and one count of sexual assault — expanding the case against the comedian and actor to allegations involving six women.

In a statement issued Dec. 23, London’s Metropolitan Police said the Crown Prosecution Service authorized the additional charges, which relate to two further women and are in addition to the five charges Brand already faces. Brand, 50, is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 20, 2026 in connection with the new charges, the Met said.

Brand has previously pleaded not guilty to the original five charges, PEOPLE previously reported.

Those charges — which involve four women — include two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. A trial tied to those original charges is scheduled to begin June 16, 2026 at Southwark Crown Court, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Detectives began investigating in September 2023 after allegations emerged following reporting by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times. The original charges stem from alleged incidents dating back more than two decades, spanning 1999 to 2005, and include accusations of rape and sexual assault in the Bournemouth area and London’s Westminster area, police said.

The new charges bring the total number of complainants to six. The Metropolitan Police statement did not include further details about the two additional charges.

Brand has denied the allegations. In past public statements, he has said all of his relationships were consensual and has characterized the accusations as a coordinated attack, PEOPLE previously reported.

The allegations and criminal case have also had professional repercussions. Following the emergence of the accusations in 2023, several of Brand’s stand-up tour dates were postponed, and multiple organizations and professional partners — including his literary agent and a charity he worked with — parted ways with him, PEOPLE previously reported.

Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi, who is leading the investigation, said the women who have made reports are continuing to receive specialist support.

Representatives for Brand did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in a Wednesday video posted on X, Brand cryptically acknowledged he was working to “atone” for his many transgressions.

“I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to atone for the many things over the years that I did wrong and to [have] the opportunity to to ensure that people understand the truth of my situation and scenario,” said Brand. “I pray that anyone that I have hurt in my years of mindlessness and sin would be healed. I pray for infinite light and wonderful healing for them and I pray for the absolute truth of who I am to be revealed.”