Jury Begins Deliberations in Russell Brand Rape Trial

LONDON – Jurors have begun deliberating in the trial of Russell Brand, who faces charges of rape and sexual assault.

After three weeks of evidence and legal arguments, Judge Joel Bennathan told the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court that any verdict must be unanimous.

“I can only accept a verdict that is the verdict of all 12 of you,” he said.

Brand, who remains free on bail, has attended every day of the proceedings with his wife, Laura Gallacher.

Six women allege that the actor and comedian sexually mistreated them between 1999 and 2009, a period in which Brand rose from stand-up comedy to become a major celebrity in the U.K.

Prosecutors have portrayed Brand during those years as “a sexual predator,” alleging attacks in locations including a hotel room, MTV’s London offices, a London bar toilet, a radio station, a recording studio and his home.

Brand, 51, denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.

While giving evidence, Brand acknowledged that he had been preoccupied with sex when he was younger but insisted that all of his sexual encounters were consensual.

His lawyers argued that the women’s accounts were weakened because they reported the alleged assaults to police years later, after a 2023 documentary aired anonymous allegations against Brand.

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Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, told the court that the documentary had “corrupted and contaminated” the “well of justice.”

In his closing argument on Monday, Winter urged jurors to distinguish between Brand’s conduct toward women and the question of whether he had committed criminal offenses.

“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.”

Winter 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.”

Brand became prominent in the early 2000s through risqué stand-up performances, television presenting and his own BBC radio show. He also appeared in Hollywood films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.

In recent years, Brand has distanced himself from mainstream media, moved to Florida and developed a substantial online following through videos focused on wellness, conspiracy theories and his religious beliefs.