‘Indiscriminate and voracious’: the prosecution sets out its case
Brand faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009. He denies all the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
Jury selection began on Monday but the prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC opened the case on Wednesday. She told the court that Brand, 51, was a ruthless, calculated and manipulative predator with an “indiscriminate and voracious” desire for sexual contact.
His methods varied, she argued, and women were just a means to an end for him.
“Sometimes he might tell women what they wanted to hear, be nice, be kind. Sometimes he might have appeared interested in their cause, sometimes he might even have made sexual advances within minutes of meeting them, identified someone young and impressionable where he was performing – but every time he had identified his target, he was intent on trying to fulfil his sexual desire,” Karmy-Jones said.
‘I was like a zombie’: court hears first women’s accounts
The court has so far heard from two of the six women who have made allegations against Brand. Both women have given evidence from behind a screen, and the trial judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, has told the jury that the measure was quite standard, saying: “Don’t hold it against anyone.”
The earliest allegation Brand faces is from a woman who claims the TV personality raped her after a fringe cabaret show at the 1999 Labour party conference in Bournemouth.
She broke down in tears in the witness box on Thursday as she told how Brand was “monster-like” when he pushed her on to a bed in a hotel room in an attack that left her feeling as if she couldn’t breathe.
“I was like a zombie on the bed. All I could think was he’s inside me and the quicker the better,” she said.
Brand is accused of indecently assaulting the second alleged victim, who told the court on Friday that he transformed into a “wild-eyed maniac” when he tried to drag her into a men’s toilets for a sexual encounter.
The woman, who was working for MTV at the time, alleged she “wrenched” herself free, saying: “I emerged relatively unscathed. He didn’t manage to rape me.”
'No power imbalance': Brand sets out his defence
The court heard that in prepared statements in police interviews, Brand denied all the allegations. He said he had never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity, and suggested some accounts may have been reinvented or imagined after a 2023 documentary about his alleged sexual misconduct.
His defence barrister, Ian Winter KC, suggested to the first complainant that Brand was a “very young-looking boy” and there was “no power imbalance” during their alleged encounter in 1999.
He suggested to the second complainant that Brand had “invited” her into the toilet for a consensual sexual encounter and that it had been a “short-lived, very, very minor incident”.
'I pray for everybody': Brand puts faith in Christian image
Brand has arrived at court with his wife, Laura, on three of the five days the case has been sitting. His security guard and members of his entourage have sat in the public gallery each day.
Arriving at Southwark crown court on Friday in his signature dark suit, cross necklace and long scarf, the actor said: “Obviously it’s an extraordinary and stressful situation, but it is also an exploration of truth and justice and, as I’ve said before, I pray for everybody involved.
“It’s in a way very, very sad but hopefully it can bring about some conclusions that are beneficial.”
In court, Brand has sat upright with his hands in his lap, appearing to listen intently to the evidence. Journalists sitting in the press gallery, directly behind the glass dock, have caught glimpses of his reflection as he stares ahead. Occasionally, he has been spotted clutching prayer beads.
The court case as content
Brand has arrived at court each morning to a large crowd of photographers and journalists from across the world.
There has been widespread international coverage of the case, including in the US, where Brand now lives with his wife and children.
Each day there have been at least 20 journalists crammed into court 3 where the trial is taking place, and about 30 more have been watching on a screen in another courtroom in the building. Some have accessed the case remotely via CVP link.
There are at least five daily podcasts covering the trial, and several journalists from the same outlets have been angling to get into court.
