Russell Brand is a “ruthless, calculated and manipulative” predator who raped and groped women to satisfy his sexual appetite, a court has heard. The 51-year-old was said to be “obsessed” with sex and viewed women as a “means to an end”, the court heard.
Brand is currently on trial, accused of assaulting six women between 1999 and 2009, during the rise of his entertainment career. The jury was told he was “child-like in his expectation that his every desire should be met”.
Presenting the case against him at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC claimed that Brand – who denies all charges – utilised humour and his “charm” in his relentless pursuit of sex.
Alleged rape victim's account
One of the alleged rape victims alleges that Brand told her “don't be a spoilsport” as she attempted to resist him. Brand has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
Ms Karmy-Jones stated that the allegations against Brand occurred as “his public profile was taking off as he was progressing from doing gigs as a stand-up comedian at pubs and clubs to a TV presenter, an actor, and Hollywood movie star”.
She informed jurors: “Offending took place in a number of locations: a hotel room, workplaces, a toilet cubicle in a bar and at his home address. Some of the women involved protested and said no, others had no opportunity to react to his advances, but it mattered not to the defendant.
Prosecution's description of Brand
“Regardless of who they were and what they said or did, the defendant was not deterred. His desire for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious. He could be nice when he wanted to be – funny, undoubtedly; charming, likeable even – when he wanted something in return.
“But then demanding, entitled, a flirt with a huge sexual appetite – child-like in his expectation that his every desire should be met. He was ruthless, he was calculated, and he was manipulative, and the prosecution say – a sexual predator.”
She informed the court that Brand would “tell women what they wanted to hear, be nice, be charming”, and to others he seemed to take an interest in a cause they were advocating. “Sometimes he might even have made sexual advances within minutes of meeting them”, she said.
Alleged incidents and background
“But every time he had identified his target, he was intent on trying to fulfil his sexual desire. After the event, he would appear indifferent, normal and untroubled by what had occurred, sometimes leaving promptly after it, sometimes making an excuse to get away or sometimes simply continuing to act as though nothing wrong had happened.”
“He cared not who the woman was, or what state she was left in, or how he had left her feeling. Uppermost in his mind was his insatiable desire to get what he wanted with whomever he wanted it from.”
Jurors heard one of the alleged victims told Brand that she “didn't want to do this” as he was raping her, and he is alleged to have replied: “Oh come on, come on, don't be a spoilsport”.
“To the defendant, women were simply a means to an end,” added Ms Karmy-Jones. Brand is currently facing accusations of raping a woman after performing at the 1999 Labour Party conference, and allegedly sexually assaulting women at a radio station and in a Soho bar.
The comedian, originally from Essex, was once a mainstay in the British media, presenting on Channel 4 and hosting his own BBC Radio 2 show. He has presented the Brit Awards, Comic Relief and the MTV Music Video Awards, as well as landing leading roles in Hollywood films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Rock Of Ages, and Arthur.
In recent years, Brand has transitioned into podcasting and now resides in Florida, US. He was accompanied to court by his wife Laura Gallacher. Brand denies three allegations of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault. The trial continues.
