offences

The 50-year-old comedian is already facing similar charges, including rape and sexual assault, involving four women.

British authorities have brought new counts of rape and sexual assault against comedian Russell Brand, who is already facing similar charges involving four women.

The United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Tuesday that the new charges – one count of rape and one of sexual assault – against Brand were in relation to two further women. The alleged offences took place in 2009, the CPS said.

Brand, 50, had already been charged in April with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges were brought after an 18-month investigation launched when four women alleged they had been assaulted by the comedian.

Prosecutors said these offences took place from 1999 to 2005, one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in London.

Brand pleaded not guilty to those charges in a London court.

He is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 20 in relation to the two new charges. A trial has also been scheduled for June 16 and is expected to last four to five weeks.

The Get Him to the Greek actor, known for risque stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, has dropped out of the mainstream media in recent years. He built a large following online with videos mixing wellness with conspiracy theories as well as discussions about religion.

When the first group of charges was announced in April, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.

“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord,” he said in a social media video. “I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile. But what I never was, was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”

Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi said the women involved in the case “continue to receive support from specially trained officers”.

He added the police investigation was ongoing and urged “anyone affected by this case or anyone with information to come forward”.

Four players have been banned from ⁠all ⁠football-related activity for several years for their part in match-fixing offences in Australia’s A-League.

Kearyn Baccus and ex-New Zealand international Clayton Lewis were paid A$10,000 (£4,940) each to get themselves booked during Macarthur FC’s game against Sydney FC in December 2023.

Both were sentenced to a two-year conditional release order, external in September and have now been banned for five years by Football Australia, effective from May 2024.

They also accepted the offer of completing 200 hours of unpaid football-related community service ‌to reduce their bans by 12 months.

Meanwhile, Riku Danzaki and Japanese compatriot ‌Yuta Hirayama have been banned for seven years from June 2025.

Former Western United midfielder Danzaki pleaded guilty in August, external to deliberately earning yellow ‍cards in multiple A-League games in April and May.

He received A$16,000 (£7,900) from bets placed by his friend Hirayama, an amateur player.

All four ‌have decided not to exercise their ‍right to appeal and accepted the sanctions.