Russell Brand told jurors at Southwark Crown Court that being accused of rape was "devastating" and that friends and former colleagues now will not "touch me with a barge pole". The 51-year-old former comedian began giving evidence on Wednesday morning, denying allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Consent 'more important than sex itself'
Asked about his views on consent, Brand told the jury it is "more important than sex itself". He said he could not persuade any of his friends or former colleagues to give evidence in his defence after he was publicly accused of offences against women three years ago.
His barrister, Ian Winter KC, asked Brand to describe the effect on his friends and colleagues after allegations of rape and sexual misconduct were published by the Sunday Times, The Times, and a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary in September 2023. Brand replied: "It was devastating."
Mr Winter asked: "Were you able to persuade a single person with relevant evidence to give to come to give evidence on your behalf?" Brand replied: "I have not." The barrister continued: "Would they touch you with a barge pole?" Brand replied: "No."
Denials to all seven charges
At the outset of his evidence, each of the seven charges was put to Brand by his barrister. With his hands clasped tightly behind his back, he loudly replied "no" each time when asked if he had committed rape and sexual assault.
Brand is accused of being a predator who forced women into sexual acts during his "obsessive" pursuit of sleeping with 5,000 women. Six women have come forward to accuse the entertainer, with allegations dating from 1999 to 2009, when he was at the height of his fame and starring in Hollywood films.
He was also asked about an incident following the 2023 reporting, when he was blocked from entering Great Ormond Street Hospital to be with his sick baby son. "The reason given by Great Ormond Street Hospital when my son was receiving open heart surgery and subsequent treatment was due to the material published," he said. Brand said he was told "they had to bar my attendance and presence", adding: "They were unclear about what particular legal reason there was, but that was the reason they gave to my wife Laura and I."
First allegation and 'fooling around'
The first allegation Brand faces is that he raped a woman in a hotel room in 1999 after meeting her at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. Brand denied the allegation and told the court: "Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in many ways more important than sex itself."
He said he has been "consumed" by the criminal case since he was first accused and can now recall some of the incidents. Brand said he remembers going back to the "vivacious" woman's hotel room after they had met at one of his shows, and he thought there was "at least the possibility of sex". The woman gave evidence that Brand had goose-stepped around the bedroom like the TV character Basil Fawlty and made her take photos of him, and he conceded that he was likely at the time to "fool around".
She told the court Brand had said "it's fun" while he raped her, but he gave evidence that he was inexperienced, especially with older women, and would have been saying: "Am I doing this right? Do you like this? Is this OK? Are you enjoying this? Is this alright? Things like that, really, in order to elicit approval."
Further allegations and trial continues
On his entrance to court on Wednesday morning, Brand told reporters: "I'm very grateful that today is the day for truth and justice." Brand has been accompanied to court on most days of his trial by wife Laura Gallacher, and the couple held hands as they entered the court ahead of his evidence beginning.
Brand is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one charge of attempted indecent assault. The trial has heard from six women who say they were victims of sexual misconduct from Brand between 1999 and 2009. An MTV worker says Brand tried to drag her into a toilet at work in 2001 when he was one of the channel's star presenters, but she said she managed to wrench herself away. Asked if he had intended a non-consensual sexual encounter, Brand told the court: "Absolutely not."
Brand is accused of groping another MTV worker's breasts in a Soho bar in 2004, then forcing the woman into oral sex after dragging her to a toilet. He is accused of kissing and groping a radio worker in 2005 in front of members of his entourage, and sexually assaulting a Channel 4 staffer in 2009 by thrusting his head into her lap when the comedian's aides had forced her to give him a massage. Brand is also accused of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009 after meeting her at one of his Hammersmith Apollo stand-up performances. He denies all the charges. The trial continues.
