Russell Brand was a “ruthless, calculating and manipulative” sexual predator who raped and assaulted six women over a ten-year period, a court heard at the opening of his trial.
The 51-year-old comedian is accused of three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault. He denies all the charges, which are alleged to have taken place between 1999, before Brand was famous, and 2009.
Prosecution opens case
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC told Southwark Crown Court: “He was ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative, and the prosecution say he was a sexual predator. His MO, his tactic, of how to make these advances was varied.”
“Sometimes he might tell women what they wanted to hear, sometimes he might have appeared interested in a cause, sometimes he might even have made sexual advances within minutes of meeting them, identify someone young and impressionable at a gig where he was performing.”
“But every time he had identified his target, he was intent on trying to fulfil his sexual desire. After the event, he would appear indifferent, normal and untroubled by what had occurred, sometimes leaving promptly after it, sometimes making an excuse to get away or sometimes simply continuing to act as though nothing wrong had happened.”
“He cared not who the woman was, or what state she was left in or how he had left her feeling. Uppermost in his mind was his insatiable desire to get what he wanted with whomever he wanted it from.”
“To the defendant, women were simply a means to an end. That end being groping them, sexually or indecently assaulting them, vaginally or orally or anally raping them.”
Alleged offences and locations
The alleged attacks took place at a former home of Brand, a radio station studio, a bar in London’s Soho district, and a hotel in the Bournemouth area. They are alleged to have occurred “when his career was beginning to flourish” and “his public profile was taking off”, Ms Karmy-Jones told the court.
She said it took place when he was progressing from doing comedy gigs as a stand-up comedian at pubs and clubs to becoming a television presenter, an actor, and a Hollywood movie star.
Ms Karmy-Jones said: “Russell Brand, you may know, is a celebrity. Those offences were committed against six different women between approximately 1999 and approximately 2009.”
“Six different women who did not know each then and do not know each other now, who have never met each other and who came forward independently of each other. Their paths all crossed the defendant’s either through their employment, social events or through attending gigs where he was performing.”
“Some of the women involved protested and said no, others had no opportunity to protest and no opportunity to react to his advances, but that didn't matter to the defendant. Regardless of who they were and what they said or did, the defendant was not deterred. His desire, strong desire, for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious.”
“He would be nice when he wanted to be, funny, undoubtedly charming, likeable even, when he wanted something in return. But then demanding, entitled, a flirt with a huge sexual appetite, childlike in his expectation that his every desire should be met.”
Background and court proceedings
Ms Karmy-Jones told the court a former friend of Brand had described how the star bragged about being “a ladies’ man”, a womaniser, and an expert pick up artist who wanted to bed 5,000 women in his lifetime. The man also described Brand as “very single minded”, adding “women and sex were a goal and an obsession”.
The complainants include a woman who claims Brand raped her in a hotel after meeting him at a Labour conference fringe event in Bournemouth in September 1999, an MTV employee who alleged he tried to drag her into a toilet in the company’s Oxford Street office, a woman who claims he orally raped her in a toilet inside a bar in London’s Soho, and a woman who says he attacked her in a radio studio in London.
It was said that all of the women came forward after watching a Channel 4 TV show in which anonymous allegations about the defendant were made. None of the complainants in the trial appeared in the programme, and Brand has denied any wrongdoing in response to the programme’s allegations.
Ms Karmy-Jones told the jury: “Your job in this trial is not to try and determine the truth of anything outside this courtroom, but it is right that you should know about the TV programme because the complainants in this case speak about how the programme played its part in causing them to take the difficult step of coming forward and formally report the matter to the police.”
She added: “You must bear in mind in this case that although you’re sat here as jurors in Southwark Crown Court... listening to my opening address, you will be considering offences that took place between around 27 and 17 years ago when the defendant was aged roughly between 24 and 33.”
“So the man that you are considering in this trial is not the Mr Brand, aged 51, whom you see in the dock today. He is not necessarily the same as he was then. Over the years he may have changed both physically and as a person. However, despite that passage of time, his responsibility for wrongs done and crimes committed at a younger age remains the same.”
Brand and his wife Laura Gallacher entered the court on Wednesday morning amid tight security, including their own private guard and police officers stationed at the court entrance. Office workers and tourists waited across the road for the star’s arrival, while TV crews from around the world broadcast live.
The trial is expected to last up to ten weeks, with the prosecution’s case expected to take around four weeks. A jury of 12 men and women was formally sworn in after being asked questions including whether they had seen a Channel 4 documentary or read a newspaper article concerning allegations about Brand in 2023.
The trial is being overseen by High Court judge Mr Justice Joel Bennathan, with Ian Winter KC defending Brand. None of the complainants can be named for legal reasons, and they are all expected to give evidence in person from behind screens. The trial continues.
