India, Dec. 25 -- British police said on Tuesday that comedian and actor Russell Brand has been charged with an additional count of rape and another count of sexual assault. The new charges, authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), relate to two women and come on top of five charges filed in April involving four other women. Those earlier charges include two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault, dating back more than two decades. The 50-year-old is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on January 20, 2026, in connection with the new charges. Meanwhile, his trial for the earlier charges is set to begin at Southwark Crown Court on June 16. Russell had pleaded not guilty to the original five charges in May. Police began investigating the allegations in September 2023 after reports were published by Channel 4's Dispatches programme and The Sunday Times. According to the CPS, the two new charges relate to alleged incidents that took place in 2009 and involve separate women. The five original charges are linked to alleged offences said to have occurred between 1999 and 2005 in central London and Bournemouth. HTC...