Russell Brand granted conditional bail after appearing in London court on rape and assault charges

By BRIAN MELLEY and PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON AP Actor-comedian Russell Brand was granted conditional bail by a London court on Friday after appearing to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women Brand did not enter a plea He previously denied the accusations made against him He was swarmed by photographers as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court for his first hearing since he was charged last month with one count each of rape indecent assault and oral rape as well as two counts of sexual assault Russell Brand surrounded by media as he arrives at Westminster Magistrates court in London Friday May where he faces rape and sexual assault charges involving four women AP Photo Alberto Pezzali Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring recounted Brand to present himself at the Central Criminal Court commonly known as the Old Bailey in central London on May and granted him bail on condition he keeps the court informed of where he is staying either in the U K or in the U S He in the present lives in Florida but is obliged to attend all future court appearances If he doesn t abide by the conditions he faces being remanded in custody The comedian author and Get Him To The Greek actor who wore an open shirt and jeans listened intently to the details of the charges as he sat in the dock He spoke only to confirm his name date of birth address and that he understood his bail conditions The alleged offenses took place between and one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in the Westminster area of central London The accusers have not been identified Brand has been interviewed by police about the charges which he denies Brand has denied engaging in non-consensual activity In a video posted on X after he was charged Brand mentioned he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence Brand is alleged to have raped a woman in at a hotel room in Bournemouth when she attended a Labour Party conference in the town It is alleged that while the woman went to the bathroom Brand removed particular of his clothing and later pushed her on the bed removed her underwear and raped her A second woman accuses Brand of grabbing her by the forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet at a television station in London in A third accuser was a television worker Brand met in Soho central London in He is accused of grabbing her breasts before allegedly pulling her into a toilet and orally raping her The final complainant is a radio station worker who met Brand while he was working for Channel on a spin-off of the Big Brother reality television plan between and Brand is alleged to have grabbed her by the face with both hands pushed her against a wall and kissed her before grabbing her breasts and buttocks The charges follow a September joint inquiry by British media outlets Channel and the Sunday Times Known for his unbridled and risqu standup routines Brand hosted shows on radio and television and wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol He has appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between and In current years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories He in recent days explained he had moved to the United States