LONDON -- Jurors began considering their verdicts on Tuesday in the trial of Russell Brand on charges of rape and sexual assault.
After three weeks of argument and evidence, Judge Joel Bennathan told the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court that they must reach a unanimous decision.
“I can only accept a verdict that is the verdict of all 12 of you,” he said.
After about an hour of deliberations, the jurors were sent home for the night with a warning not to discuss the case with anyone else.
Brand, who is free on bail, has attended court every day, accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher.
Six women, who don’t know one another, accuse the actor-comedian of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2009, a decade when Brand went from rising stand-up comedian to major celebrity in the U.K.
Prosecutors argued that during that time Brand was “a sexual predator” who attacked the women in a hotel room, the London offices of MTV, the toilet of a London bar, a radio station, a recording studio and his home.
Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Giving evidence, the entertainer acknowledged that he had been obsessed with sex as a younger man, but said his encounters were always consensual.
Brand’s lawyers argued that the claimants’ cases were undermined by the fact that they only went to police years after the alleged assaults, and following the broadcast of a 2023 documentary that contained anonymous allegations against Brand.
Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, said the “well of justice had been corrupted and contaminated” by the documentary.
In his closing statement on Monday, Winter said the jury must separate Brand’s treatment of women from the question of whether he committed crimes.
“It is not criminal to treat women unkindly before, during or after sex,” he said. “It is not, I am afraid, criminal to be disrespectful or rude or to act like a crazy idiot.”
He said Brand “had an immense amount of sex and none of it was unlawful.”
“Disgusting, distasteful, immoral, who cares?” the lawyer said. “It’s irrelevant to your consideration.”
Known for risque stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s, hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
In recent years he has moved away from mainstream media, relocated to Florida and built a large online following with videos mixing wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious devotion.
By Jill Lawless
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If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:
- Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety.
- The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres’ website has a comprehensive list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling.
- The Ending Violence Association of Canada’s website has links to helplines, support services and locations across Canada that offer sexual assault kits.
- Indian Residential School Survivors Society crisis lines: +1 866 925 4419 or +1 800 721 0066 (24/7)
- Toronto Rape Crisis Centre crisis line: +1 416 597 8808 (24/7)
- Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: +1 833 900 1010 (24/7)
- Trans Lifeline: +1 877 330 6366
- Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988 (24/7)
- Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre for current and former Canadian Armed Forces members: +1 844 750 1648
- Read about your rights as a victim on the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime website.
