Editor’s note: This story contains details of alleged sexual offenses that some readers may find distressing.
The case against Russell Brand was set out in court for the first time today, as prosecutors alleged that the Forgetting Sarah Marshall star preyed on three women in the British TV and radio industry.
During evidence on Wednesday, Riel Karmy-Jones, the prosecution barrister, detailed allegations made by a total of six women, which have precipitated seven charges against Brand.
The 51-year-old comedian and MAGA-sphere influencer faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault, and one of indecent assault. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In her opening argument, Karmy-Jones accused Brand of being “charming,” “ruthless,” and “calculating” in his efforts to satisfy his hunger for sexual activity. She said Brand “cared not” who the women were or how he left them feeling.
She told the court that the six women who had made the allegations against Brand did not know each other and had never met. She said they came forward after watching the 2023 Channel 4 documentary, Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, or reading allegations about Brand’s conduct.
The women have a lifelong right to anonymity and their identity is subject to strict reporting restrictions, despite them being named in court proceedings. Below, Deadline details their allegations, which span a 10-year period from 1999 to 2009.
Brand will set out his defense later in the trial. The court was told repeatedly that Brand declined to answer questions when interviewed by police. He instead relied on a prepared statement, in which he claimed that he did not recall meeting the women and did not remember their names. He said any sexual contact was consensual.
Complainant 1: Rape Allegation, 1999
Complainant 1 (C1), who is expected to give evidence on Thursday, claimed she was raped by Russell Brand after meeting him on the fringes of the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth in 1999.
Karmy-Jones, the prosecution barrister, said Brand and C1 met at an event and then continued their interaction in a hotel room. C1 went to the toilet and returned to find Brand had removed his top, according to the prosecution. C1, who was in her 20s at the time, recalled Brand “prancing around the room” and “doing silly walks like Basil Fawlty.”
C1 alleged that Brand proceeded to pull down her trousers and raped her. She claimed that the encounter “didn’t last long” and said that after Brand ejaculated, he “behaved as if nothing had happened” and “showered her with compliments.” C1 recalled feeling as if the incident was “her fault,” according to Karmy-Jones.
Mark Pinheiro, who was with Brand in Bournemouth and considered him a friend, was called as the first witness by the prosecution. He claimed that Brand wished to leave Bournemouth quickly the morning after the alleged incident and was “cowering” in the back seat of the car, “incredibly alert and afraid.” Pinheiro told the jury that Brand later admitted he had been with a woman and “may have gone a bit too far.”
Complainant 2: Indecent Assault Allegation, 2001
Complainant 2 (C2) worked at MTV at the time of the alleged assault. She recalled meeting Brand at MTV’s offices in London and admiring his “I Am Spartacus” T-shirt. He asked where the toilet was, and C2 directed him, at which point he made an alleged attempt to pull her into the restroom, imploring her to “come in.”
Karmy-Jones said C2 recalled Brand having a “desperate, wild-eyed look,” and she said words to the effect of: “Are you mad, get off.” He eventually gave up and C2 never saw Brand again. C2 did not report the incident at the time.
Complainant 3: Rape & Sexual Assault Allegations, 2004
Complainant 3 (C3) claimed that she was orally raped by Brand in the toilet of a London bar in 2004 while they were both attending the birthday party of a well-known TV producer.
After being introduced at the event, C3 alleged that Brand “lunged and squeezed” her breasts with a “big, weird grin” before grabbing her arm and leading her to the toilets. Karmy-Jones said C3 recalled Brand jumping on the toilet, unzipping his trousers, and pushing her face towards his penis. The woman alleged that Brand forced his penis “deep” into her mouth before ejaculating.
Brand then left the restroom, prosecutors told the jury. C3 claimed she was left shocked and shaking after the encounter with the Despicable Me star.
Complainant 4: Sexual Assault Allegation, 2004/2005
Complainant 4 (C4) alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Brand at Capital Radio in 2004 or 2005. Then in her 20s, she claimed that Brand “grabbed” her, pushed her up against a wall, and kissed her “sloppily and aggressively.” C4 alleged that Brand “grabbed her body, at her breasts, sides and buttocks” in a “frenzied” manner, according to the prosecution. She recalled pushing him away and telling him to “f**k off.” C4 kept the incident to herself.
Complainant 5: Rape Allegation, 2009
Complainant 5 (C5) alleged that she was raped by Brand in 2009. She was a “massive fan” of the comedian and met him at the Hammersmith Apollo after he performed his Scandalous stand-up show, according to prosecutors.
C5 admitted having a consensual sexual encounter with Brand and another woman in his dressing room, during which she gave the comedian oral sex, but refused to have vaginal sex. “Mr Brand was someone she fancied — she was star-struck,” the prosecution said. “Her refusal [to have full sex] laid a challenge down to Mr Brand. He wanted to finish what he had started.”
They exchanged phone numbers and met days later at Brand’s home in north London. C5 alleged that they had consensual vaginal sex,” which she “didn’t enjoy” and said “felt awkward.” She alleged that Brand later “flipped” her on all fours and unexpectedly penetrated her anally, removing his condom. C5 said she asked him to stop, but he continued, allegedly telling her, “I want you to feel my cum,” before he ejaculated, prosecutors told the jury.
The jury heard how C5 “spent months and years blaming herself.” C5 alleged that she saw Brand again at a later event, after which the star texted her saying: “I wanna push you further.” She remembered replying: “I think you pushed me far enough – you treated me like an animal.” He allegedly said: “I’m sorry.”
Complainant 6: Sexual Assault Allegation, 2009
A former Channel 4 employee, Complainant 6 (C6) accused Brand of sexual assault as he was filming for a project in 2009. She alleged that Brand demanded a massage and “placed his head directly into her groin area.” Recalling that she felt uncomfortable, C6 claimed she could feel his breath on her genitals, according to prosecutor Karmy-Jones. C6 complained in 2009 but felt her report was “not taken seriously at that time.”