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Defence to begin presenting its case in Russell Brand’s trial
The defence is to begin presenting its case in Russell Brand’s trial at Southwark crown court, where he faces allegations of rape and sexual assault against six women.
The prosecution’s case has drawn to a close after nearly two weeks of evidence, with the jury to hear from the defence today.
In yesterday’s hearing, the jury was told by the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, that the indecent assault charge against Brand has been amended to attempted indecent assault. It relates to an allegation that Brand grabbed a female MTV worker by the arm and tried to drag her into a toilet. Bennathan told jurors he had reached the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to support the charge of indecent assault.
The court also heard Brand was interviewed by police on four occasions – in November and December 2023, January 2024 and July 2025. Brand’s pre-prepared statement to police in November 2023 was read out in court by the prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones.
In it, he said: “As I have repeatedly stated publicly and written about extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I have spent years openly denouncing.
“I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.”
Read our full report here:
Brand, 51, has been charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, in allegations dating between 1999 and 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
We will be bringing you live updates throughout the day as the trial continues.
Key events
Winter then went on to ask Brand about the third and fourth charge of sexual assault and rape, in which a woman alleged Brand grabbed her breasts before pulling her into a toilet at a bar in Soho and orally raped her in 2004.
Brand said he invited her to go into the lavatory to “fool around”. When asked by Winter whether she was happy to do so, he said “yes”.
He described the woman as “wide-eyed, enthusiastic and flirty”.
Winter asked Brand about the second count of attempted indecent assault, in which it is alleged he tried to drag a female MTV worker into a toilet in 2001.
Winter asked whether Brand “intended any non-consensual assault, sexual or otherwise” on the woman.
Brand responded: “Of course not.”
Brand tells court ‘consent is more important than sex itself’
Winter asked Brand if he got consent from the first alleged complainant when he had sex with her.
Brand told the court: “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary and, indeed, in many ways more important than sex itself.”
He said there was “no question in my mind” that he got consent from the woman “because of the talking and the intimacy”.
Winter is asking Brand about the first alleged complainant, a woman who alleged she was raped by the comedian after meeting him on the fringes of the Labour party conference in Bournemouth in 1999.
Brand told the court she had invited him to her hotel room, and that he “thought at the bare minimum it’s better than sleeping in shared accommodation” with his team, and that he “hoped and thought that there was a possibility of sex”.
‘My entire life has been consumed by these allegations,’ Brand tells court
Brand told the court that around the time of the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, which reported the allegations as part of an investigation with the Times and the Sunday Times, his baby son had to have open heart surgery at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London.
He told jurors that the hospital refused to let him stay with his son “due to the materials published”.
Brand said his “entire life has been consumed by these allegations”.
He added: “I have devoted myself to these matters.”
Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter, began by going through the indictment and asking him if he committed the offences, to which he replied “no” to each.
Brand takes the stand
Shortly after the prosecution concluded its case this morning, Brand took to the stand to give evidence as the defence begins.
Defence to begin presenting its case in Russell Brand’s trial
The defence is to begin presenting its case in Russell Brand’s trial at Southwark crown court, where he faces allegations of rape and sexual assault against six women.
The prosecution’s case has drawn to a close after nearly two weeks of evidence, with the jury to hear from the defence today.
In yesterday’s hearing, the jury was told by the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, that the indecent assault charge against Brand has been amended to attempted indecent assault. It relates to an allegation that Brand grabbed a female MTV worker by the arm and tried to drag her into a toilet. Bennathan told jurors he had reached the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to support the charge of indecent assault.
The court also heard Brand was interviewed by police on four occasions – in November and December 2023, January 2024 and July 2025. Brand’s pre-prepared statement to police in November 2023 was read out in court by the prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones.
In it, he said: “As I have repeatedly stated publicly and written about extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I have spent years openly denouncing.
“I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.”
Read our full report here:
Brand, 51, has been charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, in allegations dating between 1999 and 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
We will be bringing you live updates throughout the day as the trial continues.
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