Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to Two New Assault Charges

Russell Brand, the 50-year-old comedian and actor, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to two additional charges of assault and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court in London. The charges, involving two women, relate to alleged incidents in London in 2009.

Brand, who now lives in Florida but maintains an address in Oxfordshire, England, appeared in person for the hearing after flying in from the United States. He spoke only to confirm his name and enter the pleas from the dock. Dressed in a leopard-print shirt with several buttons undone, a grey overcoat, pinstripe trousers, and holding a white hat, Brand carried a copy of the Bible marked with several bookmarks. As he arrived at the court in a black Mercedes-Benz, he told reporters outside that he felt "blessed."

The new charges bring the total number of accusations against Brand to seven: three counts of assault, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault. He had previously pleaded not guilty in May last year to five charges involving four women and alleged offenses between 1999 and 2005. Those earlier allegations include claims that Brand raped a woman in a hotel room in Bournemouth following a Labour...