Russell Brand's rape trial delayed for six months

Russell Brand's trial over allegations of rape and sexual assault has been delayed until October.

The comedian, TV presenter, podcaster and actor 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.

The 50-year-old denies all the claims against him.

His trial had been scheduled to start on 16 June, after he was charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault, in relation to alleged offences involving four women between 1999 and 2005 in April 2025.

But fresh charges were brought in January, alleging one count of rape and one of sexual assault against two women, said to have taken place in London in 2009.

The trial, which will take place at Southwark Crown Court, has now been delayed until 12 October, and will bring together all seven charges.

It is expected to last for around two months, after initially being scheduled for up to five weeks.

The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, 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.

During a previous hearing, the court heard Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.

He is also accused of grabbing a TV worker's breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet.

It is also alleged that Brand grabbed the face of a woman working at a radio station and pushed her against a wall and kissed her before groping her breasts and buttocks.

He is also accused of assaulting another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet.

Brand said he's feeling 'blessed'

At his last court appearance in February, to which he wore a fedora-style hat, an unbuttoned tiger-print shirt and sunglasses, Brand - who was also carrying a Bible - told Sky News he was feeling "blessed".

Brand rose to prominence as a comedian and presented Big Brother spin-off shows Big Brother's Big Mouth and Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack in the 2000s.

He joined the BBC as a regular presenter for Radio 6 Music in 2006 and moved to Radio 2 in November that year, presenting on the station until 2008.

In Hollywood, he found success with the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall and its 2010 spin-off, Get Him To The Greek.

Also successful as a stand-up comedian, in recent years he has pivoted to podcasting and online influencing.

He was married to US pop singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012, and is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, with whom he has three children.

Brand, who has a home in Buckinghamshire but now lives in America, has been granted bail during the criminal proceedings.

A further two-day pre-trial hearing has been set for 16 and 17 June.

(c) Sky News 2026: Russell Brand's rape trial delayed for six months