By Fatma Younis
Russell Brand told a London court that a 2023 documentary and subsequent media coverage had a devastating effect on him, causing friends and colleagues to turn their backs.
Charges and plea
Brand, 51, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court facing three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one charge of attempted indecent assault involving six female complainants between 1999 and 2009. He denies all charges.
Documentary impact
Under direct examination, Brand said consent is fundamental and more important than sex itself. He replied "no" loudly to each charge when asked if he committed the offences. Asked about the documentary's impact, Brand said it was devastating and that no friends or acquaintances had come forward to support him. He also claimed he was barred from staying with his son at Great Ormond Street Hospital during the child's open heart surgery due to the publicity.
Cross-examination on specific allegations
During cross-examination, Brand denied raping the first complainant at the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, describing her as loquacious and interesting. He rejected prosecution suggestions that he did not care about consent, stating he knows what "no" means. Regarding a second complainant who alleges he grabbed her breasts and dragged her into a toilet in 2004, Brand said he recalled meeting her at a party but denied any assault, calling such behavior disgusting and vulgar. He admitted going into the toilet with her but denied forcing her. Brand also denied attempting to drag an MTV colleague into a toilet in 2001, and denied anal rape allegations from a woman he met after a 2009 show at Hammersmith Apollo, saying their encounters were consensual.
Memory and media scrutiny
The prosecution suggested Brand's memory was selective and that he only recalled details after seeing police evidence. Brand denied this, saying he was straining to remember distant events. Asked about his 2010 marriage to singer Katy Perry, Brand said it brought staggering fame. He agreed with the prosecution that he blamed the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary for the allegations and strongly rejected the suggestion that the media had been fair to him. The trial continues.
