Russell Brand appeared in a London courtroom on Wednesday for the opening of his trial on rape and sexual assault charges, and a prosecutor told jurors the actor-comedian allegedly assaulted six women over a decade. Photographers and video journalists were waiting when Brand, 51, reached the court, according to NBC News and the Associated Press, and he told reporters he felt “blessed.”
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said the alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2009 in hotel rooms, at workplaces, in a bar and at Brand’s home, the Guardian reported. Brand denies three rape counts, three sexual assault counts and one indecent assault count, and he has entered not guilty pleas to all of them.
Karmy-Jones told the jury that Brand had been “ruthless,” “calculating” and manipulative, and that the prosecution regarded him as a sexual predator. She argued that his desire for sexual contact was indiscriminate at the time, and that the women were treated as a means to an end, the Guardian and the New York Post reported.
First witness describes events in 1999
Mark Pinheiro, a former friend who traveled with Brand to a Labour Party conference fringe show in Bournemouth in 1999, was the first witness to testify, according to the Associated Press. He told the court that Brand abruptly left town the day after the alleged attack and seemed deeply frightened, at one point ducking behind a car window whenever a police siren passed.
Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter, questioned how reliable Pinheiro’s memory was after more than 25 years. Pinheiro maintained that he had only described how Brand behaved at the time.
In police interviews, Brand gave prepared statements denying that he had ever engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity. Karmy-Jones said he suggested the complaints might have been invented or embellished following a TV documentary about the allegations.
Why the complaints came forward later
Prosecutors said none of the women reported the alleged assaults at the time, citing guilt, shame and fear of being blamed. Karmy-Jones told jurors the women went to police only after anonymous allegations about Brand were aired on television in 2023.
The prosecutor noted that Brand’s celebrity was rising during the period in question, after he had emerged as a stand-up comedian and radio host in the early 2000s. He later appeared in films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” moved to Florida, and grew a sizable audience through online videos.
What happens next
The trial is expected to last about six weeks before Mr Justice Bennathan, the Guardian reported. Jurors will hear from the women later in the proceedings, and Karmy-Jones said she had no doubt they would find the complainants’ evidence compelling. Brand remains on bail. The defense has not yet begun presenting its case, and it is unknown whether jurors will reach a verdict on every count.
