A British court has heard the first witness statements in the six week trial of British comedian turned political commentator Russell Brand over an alleged series of rapes and sexual assaults.
Southwark Crown Court heard testimony relating to alleged attacks against women by comedian Russell Brand in 1999 and 2001 this week, following the swearing in of the jury for what promises to be a six week trial. Mr Brand faces charges related to seven alleged offences against six women that are said to have taken place between 1999 and 2009.
The charges are of rape in 1999, indecent assault in 2001, sexual assault in 2004, rape in 2004, sexual assault in 2004, rape in 2009, and sexual assault in 2009. Brand denies all charges. The accusers have been accorded anonymity under UK law.
Of the alleged rape in 1999, the court heard on Thursday Brand had performed a satirical show at the fringe of the Labour Party conference in Brighton that year and had met a woman at the bar following the performance. It was claimed the alleged victim, a woman who was in her 20s at the time, accepted Brand’s offer to walk her back to her hotel. She told the court she had initially found him to be “very gentlemanly” and that she believed him to be gay, and therefore a safe person to invite into her hotel room.
The court heard the woman became “really scared” after using the toilet in her room as she said she returned to find Brand half naked and with a very different demeanour. It is alleged he asked the woman to take photographs of him, and them pushed her onto the bed. During the alleged rape, it is said that Brand told the woman what was happening was “normal”. The court was told he was repeatedly told “no”, but that ultimately the victim ended up “like a zombie on the bed”.
A colleague of Brand’s on the 1999 Labour Party show stated of the comedian’s attitude at that time in his life: “sex was a huge preoccupation… the pursuit of ultimately getting someone into bed was a preoccupation”.
On Friday, the court began to hear evidence relating to the second charge, an indecent assault in 2001. It is alleged the victim met Brand in the lobby of the offices of the MTV music television channel, and after a short “banter” conversation, he attempted to drag the woman into the toilets saying “come in, come in” in a “pleading” voice.
The court heard when the alleged victim told Brand to leave her alone, he developed a “wild look in his eye” but ultimately gave up and went into the toilets alone. The woman said she told colleagues about the alleged incident at the time but not her bosses at MTV because Brand was a big celebrity presenter at the station and “I’ve got a mortgage to pay… why make my life hard?”.
The court adjourned for the weekend on Friday afternoon, and the judge instructed the jury to avoid the news or researching the case while away. He said, reports Sky News: “I’m not suggesting you should cover your eyes and run out of the room, but don’t pay any heed. Put it out of your mind, it’ll all be here when you come back”. Earlier in the week, after jury swearing in, the judge instructed the panel: “The defendant is clearly someone very well known. You absolutely must not carry out any research at all about this defendant Russell Brand.”
The case continues.