Russell Brand said “God bless you” as he left court on Tuesday after a hearing ahead of his rape and sexual assault trial. The comedian, actor and podcaster, 51, has been accused by six women of sexual abuse allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009. He denies all the charges: three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault, and one allegation of indecent assault.
Court appearance
Brand, wearing a grey three-piece suit, was accompanied by his wife Laura Gallacher to Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, arriving in a black Mercedes for the first of two days of pre-trial hearings. As he left the court in the afternoon, one of the onlookers shouted: “Praise the Lord, Russell Brand”, and he replied: “God bless you for saying that.”
He and his wife were flanked by private security as well as court guards and managers as he walked out of the central London courthouse to leave in the same Mercedes. He had stayed silent on his entry to court.
Trial details
His trial begins on Monday October 12, with the case expected to last up to 10 weeks. Previous hearings have heard Brand, who denies all the allegations of non-consensual sexual activity, is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and forcing her into a sex act in a toilet and kissing and groping a radio station worker.
Brand became one of Britain’s best-known stand-up comedians in the 2000s, presented spin-off shows for TV’s Big Brother and starring in a series of Hollywood films. In recent years, he has pivoted to podcasting and online influencing, and now lives in the United States.
Brand is on bail during criminal proceedings. Mr Justice Bennathan is due to sit again for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday at 2pm.
