Russell Brand appeared in Southwark Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday October 14) for the first day of trial where he’s accused of three counts of rape.
The 51-year-old comedian and actor is also accused of three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, with six women alleging crimes dating from 1999 to 2009. The prosecution’s Riel Karmy-Jones KC told the court yesterday that the women “did not know each other” and “came forward independently of each other”.
The BBC reports that during the first day of the trial, the jury were told the details of Brand’s alleged crimes One woman has accused him of raping her after a Labour Party conference in 1999. Brand’s former flatmate Mark Pinheiro, who was the first witness to give evidence, told jurors that Brand had told him he may have gone a “bit too far” with a woman at the event. “He said that things got a little bit heated and a little bit out of hand, and he thinks that maybe he did go a little bit too far. Those were his words – ‘I think I may have gone a bit too far’.” Brand is also accused of indecently assaulting an MTV worker and committing sexual assault while visiting Capital Radio in 2004.
The jury were also told how the fifth complainant met Brand after his performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in London in 2009. Their encounter began consensually but Brand allegedly raped her anally on a later occasion. The prosecution explained that the woman “spent years blaming herself”. A year on from the incident, Brand reportedly texted the woman, saying “I wanna push you further.”
“I think you pushed me far enough – you treated me like an animal,” she replied, to which Brand allegedly said: “I’m sorry.”
British comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Monday for the start of his trial on rape and sexual assault charges.
Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges… pic.twitter.com/LReoPLWiNW
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 12, 2026
“The circumstances of the offending were as wide and as varied as the defendant’s career,” Karmy-Jones told the court. “His desire, strong desire, for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious.
“[Brand would be] nice when he wanted to be; funny – undoubtedly – charming, likeable even, when he wanted something in return. [But he would also be “demanding, entitled, a flirt with a huge sexual appetite – childlike in his expectation that his every desire should be met”. She went on to call him “ruthless, calculated and manipulative”.
The trial continues today (Thursday October 15) and is expected to last for six weeks. Brand denies all the claims made against him.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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