Laura Gallacher, the wife of Russell Brand, was escorted out of Southwark Crown Court on 29 October after the judge interjected with "no, no, no" during her evidence.
The defence was about halfway through questioning Ms Gallacher when the judge intervened. Ian Winter KC, Brand's lawyer, asked her: "Are you aware of the allegations against him?" She said she was.
Judge stops questioning
Ms Gallacher agreed she had been at Brand's side through most of the trial and had been making notes in court. Winter continued: "What is your view as to the truth of the allegations?" At this point, the judge interjected forcefully, saying: "No, no, no."
Mr Justice Bennathan added: "She is not an expert witness." Winter amended his question, asking: "What is your view as to his character?" The lead prosecutor then stood, saying: "No... that is wholly unacceptable."
At that point, Ms Gallacher and the jury were ushered out, with security guard Joe McCann following Brand's wife.
Evidence and background
Ms Gallacher, giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, told the jury Brand was "very caring" and they always have sex "at my pace". She confirmed she has three children with Brand, a 10-year-old, an eight-year-old and a three-year-old.
Talking of when they began dating in 2007, Ms Gallacher said: "I was not experienced, I had only had one partner before Russell. I felt entirely cared for and looked after by Russell." She told jurors Brand "respected my view" if she said she did not want to do something.
Ms Gallacher said they broke up in summer 2007 when she was "very aware" of Brand's promiscuity. She told the court: "I wasn't interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people. I was invested, we both had told each other we loved each other but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous."
She said they got back together as a couple in 2015 and married in 2017. She added: "When he got married to Katy [Perry], I had not seen him during the marriage." Brand was married to the US singer for 14 months from October 2010 to December 2011.
Laura Brand went on: "I spoke to him on the phone in America; he called me after his marriage [ended] and gifted me meditation for me and my [then] boyfriend."
Character testimony and trial details
Asked for her view of her husband's character, Ms Gallacher said: "Russell, my husband, is caring, he is kind, he is a wonderful father to our children. He is amazingly attentive husband. He has got an eye for detail I've never known before. The way he treats me is to really know me, I feel very seen by him in every way. I love him very much."
Brand could be seen mouthing words in his wife's direction when she told the court about his baptism. He let out an audible laugh when she told the court: "We do have many friends and there are colleagues, and we are grateful for those people."
The comedian is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one charge of indecent assault. He denies all allegations against him.
