The jury in Russell Brand’s rape and sexual assault trial began deliberating on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after Judge Joel Bennathan reviewed evidence from the case. The judge told jurors he would focus on witnesses he considered significant and reminded them that any verdict must be unanimous among all 12 jurors.
Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. The last charge was amended during the trial from indecent assault. The allegations involve six women and incidents said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all seven counts.
The three-week trial began in October. The six women testified, with their identities protected under UK rules for people who report sexual assault. Their accounts included allegations that Brand dragged one woman into a bathroom and raped her orally, and that he anally raped another woman after she had agreed to vaginal sex.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones argued in her opening statement that Brand expected his desires to be met and treated women as a means to sexual gratification. Brand testified in his own defense, acknowledging a history of what he called “reckless philandering” and saying he had misused his fame selfishly. He maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual.
In closing, Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, challenged the accusers’ accounts, arguing that none of the women had resisted, screamed or tried to leave. He also suggested their claims had been influenced by a 2023 documentary that included allegations of abuse against Brand, which he has denied.
Sources: Rolling Stone.