15.10.2026 12:40
British comedian Russell Brand is on trial on charges of rape and sexual assault. It is alleged that Brand aimed to be with 5,000 women. The prosecutor claims that the famous actor committed crimes by manipulating women.
The trial in which world-famous British comedian and Hollywood actor Russell Brand is being tried on rape and sexual assault charges began at Southwark Crown Court in London. While the prosecution accused the 51-year-old actor of sexually abusing women by manipulating them, it was alleged that Brand said in the past he aimed to be with 5,000 women.
Brand appeared before a judge on charges of three rapes, three sexual assaults and one indecent assault against six women between 1999 and 2009. The famous actor denied all charges against him.
Prosecution: He used his celebrity image to gain women's trust
In the opening of the trial, senior prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, addressing the jury, claimed that behind the likeable and entertaining personality Brand displayed in public there were aggressive behaviors toward women.
According to the prosecution, Brand used his comedy shows and fame to attract women's attention, and after gaining their trust, he committed sexual assaults.
It was also alleged that the actor, a father of three, presented himself to his friends as an expert at impressing women and said that it was enough to tell women only what they wanted to hear.
Prosecutor Karmy-Jones claimed that Brand displayed selfish and demanding behavior when his sexual desires were not met. The prosecution argued that the actor used his fame and personal charm in his relationships with women.
Allegations spanning years were described in court
At the hearing, statements from six women, said to be unconnected to one another, regarding incidents they alleged occurred years ago came up.
Incident alleged to have taken place in a hotel room in 1999: The first complainant said she met Brand during a party conference held in Bournemouth. According to the allegation, the actor invited the woman to his hotel room and raped her there. It was alleged that after the incident Brand left the room, leaving the woman crying. A friend of the actor also claimed that after the incident Brand told him he might have gone too far.
Incident alleged to have taken place in the MTV building in 2001: It was alleged that Brand grabbed a female employee he encountered at the reception of the channel's European headquarters by the arm and tried to forcibly pull her into a toilet cubicle.
Incident alleged to have taken place in a bar restroom in 2004: The prosecution alleged that Brand, accused of harassing a woman he met at a bar in Soho, tried to take her to the restroom despite her objections and forced her into a sexual act.
Incident alleged to have taken place at a radio station in 2004: According to another accusation, Brand pinned a woman in her twenties against a wall, kissed her aggressively and squeezed her body hard. After the woman freed herself, it was alleged that the actor tried to make the incident seem like a joke.
2009 rape allegation involving a fan: The prosecution alleged that during a show Brand made remarks about a wide age range for being with women, and the next day raped a 21-year-old fan who met him after the show at his home. According to the allegation, the actor did not stop despite the woman's objections. Among the allegations was also that after the incident Brand told the woman to turn on the television.
While details regarding the incidents in question were brought up by the prosecution in court, all of the charges are being evaluated within the scope of the trial.
Testimony from his former friend regarding the claim of 5,000 women
Brand's former friend Mark Pinheiro, who testified as a witness at the hearing, said the actor had boasted in the past about being with 5,000 women.
Pinheiro claimed that before a show held in 2013, Brand made a remark to him about women and then selected young women and took them briefly to the restroom.
Another former friend of the actor, Andrew Dobson, also claimed that Brand behaved obsessively toward women and sex.
Russell Brand denies the charges
The complainant women applied to the police after news reports published in the media in 2023. The file prepared as a result of the investigation resulted in Brand being brought to court on rape and sexual assault charges.
Denying the charges at the hearing, Brand argued that his relationships with the women were consensual. Stating that he did not remember some of the women, the actor suggested that the complainants' assessments of past incidents may have been influenced by news reports published later.
The trial continues with the charges against Russell Brand being assessed in court. The final decision on whether the actor is guilty will be made at the end of the trial process.