Judge Drops Indecent Assault Charge in Russell Brand Trial

A judge has dropped one of the charges against Russell Brand and replaced it with a different count, Variety reported.

Mr Justice Bennathan made the decision midway through the trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. He concluded there was "insufficient evidence" to support the indecent assault charge, and the new count is attempted indecent assault.

Both counts relate to the same alleged incident in 2001 involving a female MTV employee. The allegation is that Brand grabbed the woman by the arm and tried to drag her into a toilet. Jurors will still consider whether Brand attempted the alleged offence.

To formally close the original count, the judge picked one juror to return a not-guilty verdict on it. That step is known as a formal acquittal.

Brand, a British actor and comedian, originally faced seven charges. These were three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them. Jury selection for the trial began on Monday 12 October, Reuters reported.

The case centres on allegations from six women about incidents between 1999 and 2009. Evidence has been heard in the courtroom over the past two weeks. One of the women told the court that Brand tried to drag her into toilets, Reuters reported on 16 October.

Another woman told police that Brand grabbed her breasts before dragging her into a toilet at a bar, Reuters reported. A third woman, who alleges Brand raped her more than 25 years ago, told jurors that she had blamed herself for what happened.

These are allegations, and none of them has been tested to a verdict. Brand denies every charge. The jury will now weigh the evidence on the attempted count, and the other charges still before them.

For readers following the case, the key change is simple. One charge has gone, and a narrower count about the 2001 incident has taken its place.