Russell Brand is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court, accused of sex attacks by six women over a decade. The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces seven charges, including rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault, and has denied all of them. The alleged offences are said to have taken place at venues including hotel rooms, a toilet cubicle, and his home address.
Prosecution opens case
The prosecution opened the trial on October 14, stating that the complainants met Brand either through employment or social events. Brand, who has yet to give evidence, has arrived each day with his wife, Laura Gallacher. The victims are being cross-examined by Brand's defence team and have described how he made advances within minutes of meeting them.
Woman describes 'monster-like' attack
One woman told the court that Brand turned into a "monster" when he raped her in a Bournemouth hotel room during the Labour Party conference in 1999. She broke down in the witness box, saying she "couldn't fight back". She said: "He just changed suddenly from this… camp, friendly and effeminate to monster-like." The woman said she told Brand "no" and struggled to breathe when he was on top of her. Brand's defence team suggested she would have left the hotel room if she were in danger, to which she replied: "Where am I supposed to go? Run into the night and him chase after me?"
The same woman claimed Brand told her "it's just fun" during the alleged rape, after stripping off and prancing around the room "like Basil Fawlty" before pushing her onto the bed. In a recorded interview played to the court, she recalled him saying "we're having fun, it's fine, it's all good". She added that the attack made her feel "dirty" and that she had nightmares about becoming pregnant. Brand allegedly asked her to take a photo of him topless during the attack.
Second accuser alleges toilet incident
Brand's second accuser told the court he dragged her into a male toilet, grabbing her by the arm and saying "come on, come in with me". She described a "wild look in his eyes" and said the exchange lasted 20 seconds. She felt "bewildered" and "confused" afterwards. When Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, suggested she only reported the incident after seeing a 2023 documentary about Brand's alleged misconduct, she replied: "I don't think it's quite as straightforward as that. It would have been my word against his, I had a job to consider, I came away relatively unscathed, and he didn't rape me."
Third accuser describes Soho bar incident
A third accuser alleged Brand sexually attacked her at Nordic Bar in Soho in 2004, when they both worked for MTV. In a pre-recorded police interview, she said Brand "grabbed [her] boobs" with a "weird maniacal grin" before forcing her to perform a sex act in a toilet. Afterwards, she claimed Brand showed her his penis in a car, saying "come on, come on" while she said "no, no". She said she had around six or seven drinks before Brand arrived, adding: "I was beyond tipsy, but I wasn't drunk." Winter suggested she willingly went into the toilet, which she denied. She explained she did not go to the police because she did not think she would be believed, citing the "laddish culture" of the time.
Fourth accuser alleges 'frenzied' assault
The fourth complainant said she was sexually assaulted while working at Choice FM, when Brand roughly kissed her and pressed his body against her. She described the encounter: "Going down my neck, his hands are moving so much that the reason I used the word frenzied was because it was just violent. It was hard and he just wasn't stopping." Bystanders allegedly did nothing. Winter pressed her on how she could be sure it was Brand and why she never raised it with her employer. She said there was "banter" in her workplace about women and that she feared no one would believe her or that she might lose her job.
