Russell Brand has arrived at court for day two of his trial on rape and sexual assault charges. The 51-year-old comedian and actor, who denies all charges, walked into London's Southwark Crown Court at around 9.30am wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a very loose-fitting tie, passing waiting photographers. His wife, Laura Gallacher, was not with him after attending court together on Monday.
Jury to be sworn in
The jury of 12 men and women that will decide whether Brand is innocent or guilty is set to be sworn in this morning. The trial proper is expected to begin on Wednesday morning and could last up to ten weeks. Brand's case is being heard in Court Three, overseen by High Court judge Mr Justice Bennathan.
Brand is charged with seven counts, including rape and sexual assault, against six women over a decade from 1999 to 2009. He has pleaded not guilty and has consistently denied all the allegations against him. Brand, who is on bail and now lives in the US, pleaded not guilty at earlier pre-trial hearings.
Allegations and juror selection
Previous hearings have heard Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room at a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and sexually assaulting a TV worker and a radio station worker. With Brand in the dock on Monday, the process of selecting jurors began. A group of 50 prospective jurors were asked if they had seen a Channel 4 documentary or read a newspaper article concerning allegations about Brand in 2023.
The judge told the panel: “We are about to start the trial of one Mr Russell Brand. Many of you will have heard of him. About three years ago, there was a TV programme and a long article in the Times newspaper in which some allegations were made against him of sexual misconduct. They were allegations he firmly denied. The jury in this trial will hear something about that programme and the allegations in the programme and the newspaper article. But we, the lawyers and the judge, all agree that if any of you remember as you stand here today watching the Channel 4 documentary or remember reading the article in the Times about three years ago, please put a hand up now.”
The judge then dismissed six members of the panel who indicated they remembered seeing the coverage. The remaining jurors will be confirmed later this morning.
