The comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared before a London court on Friday on multiple charges of sexual assault, including two counts of rape.
His 14-minute appearance at the court, Westminster Magistrates’, was the first, largely procedural step in what are likely to be lengthy criminal proceedings. It came a month after British prosecutors charged Mr. Brand with one count of rape, one of oral rape, two counts of sexual assault and another of indecent assault.
As the brief hearing began, Mr. Brand, 49, stood inside a plexiglass box in the courtroom, wearing a shirt opened to show his chest and holding a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. Mr. Brand confirmed his name, date of birth and British address, then listened, without showing any visible emotion, to details of the charges.
Court documents related to Friday’s hearing showed that one of the sexual assault charges related to a woman saying that Mr. Brand had touched her breasts and that the indecent assault charge involved a woman saying that Mr. Brand had dragged her toward a male toilet.
Mr. Brand has denied all of the charges. In a video posted to his social media accounts in April, he said that he had “never engaged in nonconsensual activity” and that he looked forward to defending himself in court.
At the end of the hearing, Paul Goldspring, the judge, granted Mr. Brand bail and then said that the actor was free to go. “Thank you,” Mr. Brand said and slowly walked out.
In Britain, the first hearing in a criminal trial is “largely administrative,” said Stuart Nolan of the Law Society, an organization representing British lawyers. It does not involve the entering of any pleas, Mr. Nolan added.
On Friday, Judge Goldspring referred the case onto a higher court, called a crown court, which deals with more serious charges. Mr. Brand’s first hearing at that court is scheduled for May 30.
Any trial might only begin “a year from now” because of a backlog of cases in Britain’s judicial system, Mr. Nolan said.
Mr. Brand became a star in Britain in the early 2000s with hit stand-up shows and appearances as a TV and radio host. Later, after the period covered by the charges, he achieved fame in the United States, too, when he starred in movies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) and “Get Him to the Greek (2010). He was briefly married to the pop star Katy Perry.
In recent years, Mr. Brand became known for conspiracy-minded YouTube videos. Almost seven million users subscribe to his channel, where Mr. Brand has posted clips about politics and news events such as the war in Ukraine.
Under British law, news outlets cannot identify anyone who makes sexual assault accusations unless they choose to waive their right to anonymity. After charges have been filed, strict rules also prevent the reporting of any information that could prejudice a jury at trial.
