Russell Brand has spoken out about court cases after new charges of rape and sexual assault were filed against him – joking about anyone facing trial by jury.
The comedian and actor took to YouTube with a 16-minute video railing against UK Government plans to limit the use of jury trials.
Brand, who has 6.75million subscribers on YouTube, told them in his latest update overnight: ‘Justice in the UK? Arresting people for ridiculous crimes.’
And he began by declaring, ‘Britain is scrapping trial by jury. Luckily I don’t know anyone who’s got a trial by jury’ – before feigning a pout of surprise.
He was talking publicly for the first time since the announcement he was charged with two new counts of rape and sexual assault.
Brand, 50, was already facing one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four separate women.
He appeared in court in May and pleaded not guilty to these five counts. The new charges relate to two additional women, the Metropolitan Police said.
Brand’s new video has the title, ‘The UK Just Took A Very Dark Turn’, as he refers to Government proposals to restrict jury trials to the most serious violent offences.
Russell Brand is seen arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on May 2 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced plans to reserve jury trials only for when defendants faced serious charges such as rape and murder, and those with a likely sentence of more than three years in prison.
The proposals are part of a bid to ease the crown court backlog.
In his latest YouTube response, Brand tells viewers: ‘Got a bit of backlog? Stop arresting people for stuff they’ve not done.
‘Stop creating pretend, crazy, mad crimes in order to legitimise banging people up in jail bcause you can’t control them.
‘And then to compound the problem, saying the old backlog, “We ain’t get time for jury trials because of the old backlog”.
‘It would be quicker if you just caught people at the moment of birth.’
The Met’s Det Chief Insp Tariq Farooqi, leading the investigation into Brand, said on Tuesday: ‘The women who have made reports, including those connected to the two new charges, continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
‘The Met’s investigation remains ongoing, and detectives urge anyone affected by this case, or anyone with information, to come forward and speak with police.’
Comedian and actor Russell Brand (pictured) has been charged with multiple sexual offences
Brand was previously married to US popstar Katy Perry (pictured together in August 2011)
Brand is due to appear before magistrates next month over the two new charges, which relate to incidents alleged to have happened in 2009.
Lionel Idan, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS, said: ‘These new charges relate to separate reports of non-recent offences in 2009, involving two additional women.
‘These additional charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
‘Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring these additional charges to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue further criminal proceedings.’
Detectives began investigating in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations, which followed reporting by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times.
Russell Brand is pictured leaving Southwark Crown Court in May 2025 after he pleaded not guilty to five charges relating to alleged sex attacks on four women
The original incidents, alleged by four women, are said to have occurred between 1999 and 2005.
The presenter is accused of raping a woman in a hotel in 1999 after they met that day at a theatrical event following the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
Brand is also alleged to have raped a woman working in television whom he met in a Soho bar in 2004.
He is accused of grabbing her breasts before pulling the victim into a toilet and forcing her to perform a sex act.
Another woman claims she was indecently assaulted by Brand, who allegedly grabbed her arm and attempted to drag her into a male lavatory at a television station in 2001.
Brand was working for Channel 4 on Big Brother’s Big Mouth between 2004 and 2005 when he is alleged to have carried out an assault on a radio station worker.
A four-week trial is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court next summer in relation to the five original charges.
