Russell Brand Testifies at London Rape Trial, Denies Charges
The actor told Southwark Crown Court he could not find anyone willing to testify as a character or fact witness for the defense.
By Naomi Whitaker ·
Russell Brand entered the witness box at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday to answer six women's allegations of rape and sexual assault between 1999 and 2009, denying each charge against him. He was called as the first defense witness by his lawyer, Ian Winter KC. Brand replied "No" when asked by Winter whether he had committed the alleged offenses. He also said he had been unable to secure any witnesses to testify on his behalf.
Brand told the court that his 2010 marriage to Katy Perry brought "staggering fame," and described the impact of the case on his personal life. "My entire life has been consumed by these allegations," he said. "I have devoted myself to these matters." Outside the court, Brand told journalists he would keep his comments short: "Due to the circumstances of today, I think it would be inappropriate for me to say anything other than I am very grateful that today's a day for truth and justice and we are blessed that as yet we have a system that can accommodate such things."
The trial had already seen one charge reduced. On Tuesday, judge Mr Justice Bennathan downgraded a count of indecent assault to attempted indecent assault regarding a 2001 incident involving an MTV employee, telling jurors there was "insufficient evidence" for the original charge. Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, and has pleaded not guilty to all counts. The complainants have lifelong anonymity under U.K. law.
The prosecution's case, presented over two weeks, details six specific allegations. Riel Karmy-Jones KC, opening for the Crown, described Brand as "ruthless and calculated" with an "indiscriminate and voracious" desire for sexual contact. The first complainant alleges rape at the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. The second concerns the 2001 MTV toilet incident. The third alleges Brand squeezed a woman's breasts at a 2004 Soho party before orally raping her in a toilet. The fourth involves an alleged 2004 or 2005 incident at Capital Radio where Brand pushed a woman against a wall, the prosecution said. The fifth alleges anal rape in 2009 following consensual vaginal sex, and the sixth alleges Brand demanded a massage from a woman on a work assignment in 2009.
The trial resumes Thursday.
Source: Variety
