Russell Brand tells court allegations had devastating impact on him

Russell Brand has said a documentary that made allegations about his behaviour had a "devastating" effect on him, and made friends and colleagues turn against him.

The entertainer has begun giving evidence as his defence case gets under way at his trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Brand, 51, is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one charge of attempted indecent assault.

The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. He denies all the charges.

After the prosecution closed their case on Wednesday morning, Brand entered the witness box and took the oath as his evidence began.

Defence barrister Ian Winter KC began by taking Brand through the indictment, asking him if he had committed the offences.

After each question, Brand replied "no" loudly towards the jury.

Brand was then asked about a documentary that aired in 2023, which included some allegations against him.

Asked by Winter what impact the documentary had had on his friends and colleagues turning their backs on him, Brand said: "It was devastating."

Winter questioned whether Brand had been able to persuade any friend or acquaintance who might have been able to give evidence on his behalf to appear in court.

Brand, wearing a black suit with an open neck white shirt and a loose black tie, replied: "I have not."

Winter asked: "Will they touch you with a bargepole?" Brand said: "No."

Brand told the jury that he was told he could not stay with his son at Great Ormond Street hospital in London when the child was having open heart surgery, as a result of the documentary.

He told the court: "Due to material that had been published in the public eye they had to bar my attendance and presence.

"They were unclear about what legal reason there was but that was the reason they gave to my wife Laura and I."

Brand told the court: "My entire life has been consumed by these allegations", adding that he had "devoted myself to these matters".

Winter KC asked Brand if he recalled meeting complainant one who alleges he raped her at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999.

Brand said yes - and explained he found her "loquacious" and "interesting".

When asked if there was any truth in the allegations that he raped her, he said "no".

Asked whether consent was important to him, he replied "Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary and indeed many ways more important that sex itself".

The trial continues.