Russell Brand went on trial at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, 14 October, facing rape and sexual assault charges brought by six women over alleged incidents spanning 1999 to 2009.
Opening the prosecution case, Riel Karmy-Jones KC told jurors that Brand was a ruthless and manipulative sexual predator who laughed at women when they refused his demands. The 51-year-old comedian and actor denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault.
What the prosecution told the jury
According to reporting by the Irish Independent, the prosecutor described Brand's desire for sex as indiscriminate and voracious, and said women had told police he was childlike in his expectation that his every desire should be met.
Uppermost in his mind was his insatiable desire to get what he wanted with whomever he wanted it from, she told the court.
The charges follow a years-long reckoning that began when journalists and women publicly aired allegations of sexual misconduct against Brand in 2023. The trial itself is a test of whether the courts can deliver what the public conversation could not: accountability, established fact by fact and witness by witness.
The allegations in detail
The court heard accounts from six women, each of whom describes encounters that began with charm and ended in alleged violence or coercion.
One woman says she met Brand at the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth and was raped in her hotel room after he stripped off and performed Basil Fawlty-style silly walks like an ostrich. Afterwards, the prosecutor said, he behaved as if nothing had happened.
A second woman, who worked with Brand at MTV in the early 2000s, alleges he tried to drag her into a toilet cubicle after she complimented his I Am Spartacus T-shirt.
A radio station worker told police Brand kissed and groped her against a wall in a fast and frenzied attack in the mid-2000s, while members of his entourage looked on and did nothing.
Mr Brand stumbled backwards at that final push and just sniggered, like it was a joke.
Perhaps he found their protestations amusing, funny, the prosecutor suggested. A display for his friends. The other men who were with him also joined in the laughter, the court heard.
A fourth woman alleges Brand groped her breasts in a Soho bar in 2004 and then dragged her into a toilet and raped her, ignoring her protestations and telling her: come on, don't be a spoilsport, you want to.
A fifth woman says she met Brand at a Hammersmith Apollo stand-up show in 2009, engaged in consensual sex with him, and was then raped at his Hampstead home. When she encountered him again in Scotland the following year, she says she told him he had treated her like an animal. She says he replied: I'm sorry, by text.
The final alleged victim, a Channel 4 worker, accuses Brand of sexually assaulting her while filming a project in 2009, after members of his entourage pressured her into giving him a massage despite her objections.
A friend turns witness
Mark Pinheiro, a former friend of Brand, gave evidence on Wednesday afternoon that cast the comedian's behaviour in a stark light. He told jurors Brand boasted of wanting to sleep with 5,000 women and shared tips for pulling girls when they first met.
He also described the drive out of Bournemouth after the alleged 1999 rape. Brand, he said, was cowering in the back seat of the car when he heard police sirens, and was flustered and eager to leave the next morning.
Later, Mr Pinheiro said, Brand told him about sex with a woman and remarked: I think I may have gone a bit too far.
He also described attending a preview of Brand's 2013 comedy show Messiah Complex, where he says women lined up against a wall backstage. Brand, he said, would break away from schmoozing, walk along the queue, pick a girl and disappear with her to a quiet area, usually the toilet, for about ten minutes, then return and repeat the pattern.
The defence and what happens next
Brand sat listening intently in the dock, which was left open so he could see his wife, Laura Gallacher, and supporters in the public gallery. He says all sexual contact was consensual, and his defence is expected to argue that his accusers have reimagined their encounters after seeing media reports of his alleged misconduct.
Jurors have been warned not to research Brand or read past reporting of the allegations. The trial continues, and the evidence of the six women will be heard over the coming weeks.
For the women who came forward, the case is a long-delayed hearing. For the public, it is a reminder that celebrity is not a shield, and that the ordinary machinery of a courtroom, a jury, a prosecutor and sworn testimony, remains the surest instrument a society has for establishing the truth.
FAQ
What charges is Russell Brand facing?
Brand has pleaded not guilty to three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, involving six women and alleged incidents between 1999 and 2009.
Where and when is the trial taking place?
The trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, with the prosecution's opening statement and evidence from Mark Pinheiro, a former friend of Brand.
What does Russell Brand say about the allegations?
Brand denies all charges and says all sexual contact was consensual. His defence is expected to argue that his accusers reimagined their encounters after media reports of his alleged misconduct.