Jurors in the Russell Brand trial were not told about the comedian's relationship with pop star Katy Perry or his history of alcohol and drug addiction, following legal rulings that kept the material out of the case.
Prosecutors had initially sought to refer to Perry when opening their case, but the judge ruled that evidence relating to the singer should not be put before the jury. The Grammy-nominated singer was removed from lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC's opening address after legal submissions by Brand's defence team.
Charges and conviction
The allegations against Brand first came to light following a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. He faced seven charges involving six women, relating to alleged incidents between 2006 and 2013.
On Thursday (November 5), Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court.
Excluded evidence
The prosecution also agreed not to raise Brand's former religious practices prior to his recent conversion to Christianity. He and Perry married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India, in 2010.
Pre-trial submissions revealed Ms Karmy-Jones noted: "The prosecution recognise that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening."
Reference to Brand's 2024 baptism in the River Thames at Henley, attended by television presenter Bear Grylls, was similarly omitted.
Evidence and testimony
Giving evidence, Brand made reference to his brief marriage to Perry, remarking that it marked the point at which he achieved "staggering fame". The pair met on the set of the 2009 film Get Him to the Greek and married the following year, before separating in late 2011.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed Perry was not asked to provide a witness statement. Senior Crown Prosecutor David Roberts stated: "We followed all reasonable lines of inquiry in statements that would have been relevant to the specific charges."
Details of Brand's substance abuse were also kept from the jury following defence objections from Ian Winter KC, who argued there was no assertion that Brand was under the influence during the alleged encounters.
Brand's former assistant, Helen Berger, provided evidence regarding his behavior, though her statement was edited to exclude references to sex addiction treatment. Extracts from Brand's autobiography, My Booky Wook, were read to the court, while his subsequent book was excluded as it was published after the period of the allegations.
Although the 2023 Dispatches documentary featured in defence arguments, jurors were selected who had not seen the broadcast, and it was not shown during the trial.
