PREVIEW

Russell Brand has appeared virtually in court after being charged with two additional sexual offences. The British comedian and actor was granted bail on Tuesday afternoon during a brief hearing in which he was accused of raping and sexually assaulting two women in 2009. Brand appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London via video link from his home in Florida and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. The hearing lasted around six minutes, during which bail was granted. The new charges include one count of rape and one count of sexual assault, alleged to have occurred in London in 2009. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said the allegations were so serious that they could only be dealt with at a Crown Court. Brand, 50, is due to appear next at a plea hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London on 17 February. The Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor is already facing two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared in court in May last year, and his trial is scheduled to begin in June. The earlier allegations allegedly took place between 1999 and 2005 and involved four separate women. The latest charges relate to two different women. The Get Him to the Greek actor has previously denied the allegations, insisting all of his sexual relationships were consensual. Brand has been living full-time in the United States and has become involved in pro-Donald Trump circles, reportedly attending events at the U.S. President's Mar-a-Lago resort.
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