Russell Brand pleads not guilty to seven sexual offense counts in London

Russell Brand told a London jury on Wednesday that he is not guilty to seven counts of sexual offenses.

The 51-year-old actor and comedian entered Southwark Crown Court with his wife, Laura Gallacher, to take the stand in his own defense. He faced three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault. His lawyer, Ian Winter, asked if he was guilty of each charge, and Brand answered no to every one. He denied forcing any of the six alleged victims to do anything against their will.

Brand stated that consent is fundamental, essential, and necessary, often more important than sex itself. He described the allegations as having a devastating impact on his life. Friends and colleagues abandoned him, he said, and no one with relevant evidence was willing to testify on his behalf. He added that the traumatic process has come at the expense of his marriage, his children, and his health.

The comedian said he was barred from staying with his baby son in the hospital after anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct appeared in a newspaper and a TV documentary in 2023. Brand noted that Great Ormond Street Hospital cited the published material as the reason he could not be with his son during open heart surgery and subsequent treatment. He called the current court session the day for truth and justice.

Prosecutors presented their case over the past two weeks. Six women accused Brand of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2009. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told jurors that Brand was ruthless, calculating, and manipulative. The prosecution described him as a sexual predator. The women do not know one another and reported the incidents to police separately after the 2023 documentary aired.

The specific allegations span a decade. One woman said Brand raped her in a hotel room in Bournemouth in 1999. Another alleged he tried to drag her into a men's bathroom at an MTV office in London in 2001. A third claimed he orally raped her in a London bar toilet in 2004. A fourth said he kissed and groped her at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005. A fifth alleged he anally raped her at his home in 2009. The sixth said he demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin during an advertisement recording in 2009.

Under cross-examination, Brand acknowledged that he dedicated a lot of his earlier life to beyond reckless philandering. He said he was very comfortable allowing his success and fame to facilitate sexual access and agreed that this was wrong. He admitted being obsessed with sex when he was younger. However, he said no when asked if he was desperate for it and sometimes could not function without it. As he finished his day on the stand, he reiterated that not guilty is his plea in every single case.