Courts and Crime
Prosecutors in London will open their case against the comedian and YouTuber later this week
Russell Brand returned to court in London on Monday, Oct. 12, as jury selection in his rape and sexual assault trial began.
While the comedian and YouTuber was present for the hearing, the day primarily involved Judge Joel Bennathan speaking with and selecting a group of prospective jurors. Those jurors will return to court tomorrow (Oct. 13), at which point Bennathan will make his final selections and swear in the 14-person jury.
The trial is set to officially begin Wednesday, with prosecutors delivering opening arguments and calling their first witnesses. The proceedings are expected to last up to 10 weeks, according to The New York Times, meaning a verdict may not be returned until December.
Brand is facing seven charges related to allegations made by six women. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them, and has been out on conditional bail since the charges were brought.
Prosecutors first filed five charges — two count of rape, one of indecent exposure, and two of sexual assault — against Brand in April 2025. Prosecutors said those alleged incidents occurred between 1995 and 2005. In December 2025, prosecutors brought two more charges against Brand, one of rape, and another of sexual assault. Those incidents allegedly occurred in 2009.
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Full details about the allegations have not been made public, though many are expected to emerge during the trial. However., anyone who brings accusations of sexual assault in the U.K. has the right to lifelong anonymity. As such, the press is not allowed to publish details that might lead to any of the accusers being identified, and coverage of the trial will adhere strictly to what happens in court.
Along with his not guilty plea, Brand has repeatedly maintained his innocence in public. In a video posted to his popular YouTube page over the weekend, he mentioned the upcoming trial and said he denied the allegations “in the strongest possible terms.” He has maintained that his sexual encounters with women — including one he admitted recently to having with a 16-year-old girl when he was 30 — have all been consensual.