British comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared in London court on Friday after being charged with rape and multiple sexual assault last month.

Brand has denied involuntary sexual conduct since the allegations about him were first aired two years ago.

On April 4, London police accused the 49-year-old right-wing health influencer of rape, verbal rape, indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in cases linked to four independent women between 1999 and 2005.

Court documents detailing the allegations, noting that the brand hesitantly attacked a woman in 2001, “grab her arm and drag her to the male toilet.” In another example in 2004, he was accused of sexually assaulting another woman in Westminster, touching her breasts without her consent.

Brand's appearance was ahead of Friday's first hearing at Westminster District Court.

He was seen reaching the court in a black shirt and putting on his chest, black jeans and dark sunglasses. Through the main entrance, he was on both sides of the journalist and photographer, and he gave them no interviews or comments.

After he was charged, Brand said in a video on X, “I have never been involuntary”, adding: “I will now have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I am very grateful for that.”

The allegations came after the investigation began in September 2023, after the Sunday Times newspaper and BBC Channel 4 reported that the brand had abused four women sexually and emotionally.

Brand is accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by four women. One said she was 16 (UK consent age) and the brand was 30 when they started to build relationships that included abuse and sexual assault.

The brand was born in the early 2000s on British TV, including a tenure as a broadcaster on the BBC, resigned in 2008 after he and his co-host announced a prank to British actor Andrew Sachs, which led to more than 42,000 complaints.

He later moved to Hollywood and starred in many films, including "Forget Sarah Marshall" in 2008 and "Let him go to the Greeks" in 2010.

He married pop star Katy Perry in 2010, but the couple divorced 14 months later. In 2017, he married Laura Gallacher and he has three children. Last year, he said he had become a Christian.

Brand has since disappeared from mainstream culture, an outspoken critic of American politics and freedom of speech and has posted his views on his YouTube channel regularly.

"These allegations involve my time working in mainstream, when I was in the newspapers, when I was watching movies," he said in another video posted on X in September 2023.

He added: “My relationship is very absolute and always voluntary.”