Actor and comedian Russell Brand has appeared in a London court by video link charged with ‍additional sexual offences allegedly committed against two women nearly two decades ago.

Brand, once ​one of Britain’s most high-profile broadcasters and former husband of US pop ⁠singer Katy Perry, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court accused of raping one woman and sexually assaulting a second woman in 2009.

The 50-year-old appeared remotely for the brief hearing from Florida in the United States, ‌his lawyer Ian ​Winter said.

Wearing a denim shirt with several buttons undone, Brand spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during the six-minute hearing.

Brand has consistently denied having non-consensual sex since allegations were ‍first aired in 2023.

He was last year charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005.

He pleaded not guilty in May to ​those five charges and is due to ‌stand trial in June at Southwark Crown Court. There will be a hearing on the new charges in the same court next month.

After the original charges ‍were announced, Brand said he had been a fool and a sex addict in his younger days but “what I never was, was ​a ​rapist”.

In the 2000s, Brand was ​a regular on British screens, known for ​his flamboyant style and appearance.

He worked for the BBC and starred in films such as Get Him to the Greek before marrying Perry in 2010. They divorced 14 months later.

By the early 2020s, Brand had faded from mainstream culture, appearing primarily on his internet channel where he airs his views ‍on US politics and free speech.

-with PA