Russell Brand’s criminal trial began at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where prosecutors described the actor and comedian as a “ruthless and calculated” sexual predator.
Brand faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. Six women accused him of offenses that allegedly occurred between 1999 and 2009. Brand has denied all the allegations.
Prosecutors detail sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand at London trial
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones opened the case by telling jurors that the six women did not know one another and came forward independently. She accused Brand of pursuing sexual contact in an “indiscriminate and voracious” manner.
The prosecution then outlined the individual allegations. One woman claimed Brand raped her after she visited him and initially believed he was gay. Prosecutors said she froze when he allegedly emerged partially undressed after she returned from the bathroom. Brand previously told police that he did not remember the incident and had never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, another woman accused Brand of indecent assault following an encounter in 2001. Prosecutors said she offered to show him where the toilets were after a conversation about his T-shirt. She claimed Brand then grabbed her forearm and asked her to enter the bathroom with him before eventually letting her go.
The jury also heard allegations involving women who met or worked with Brand during the 2000s. One woman accused him of grabbing her breasts at a Soho party in 2004. Another claimed he aggressively grabbed and kissed her while she worked at Capital Radio around 2004 or 2005. Both allegations form part of the prosecution’s case, which Brand disputes.
Prosecutors also described an alleged 2009 encounter involving another complainant. The woman said consensual sex later became non-consensual when Brand allegedly ignored her requests to stop during anal sex. The court heard about later text messages in which she told him he had treated her “like an animal.” Prosecutors said Brand responded, “I’m sorry.”
A sixth woman accused Brand of sexual assault while working with him in 2009. She claimed he demanded a massage and later placed his head into her groin area after she refused. Prosecutors said she complained at the time but felt others did not take the matter seriously.
Brand arrived at court with his wife, Laura, as the trial continued before a jury of eight men and four women. He told reporters that he felt “concerned” but remained hopeful about the legal process.
Brand has maintained that he never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity. His prepared statement also claimed that the accounts had been “reinvented or imagined” following media coverage and a documentary.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
