Russell Brand gives evidence at his rape trial
Russell Brand, 51, gave evidence for the first time at his rape trial at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Telling jurors that he had never forced himself on a woman, he described consent as “non-negotiable” and “more important than sex itself”, according to The Guardian.
Brand has pleaded not guilty to seven charges: three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. Six women accuse him of sexual assaults between 1999 and 2009, including a rape in a hotel room and assaults in a bar, at a radio station and at Channel 4. The six complainants have never met one another, according to the BBC.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which brings criminal cases in England and Wales, authorised the original charges in April 2025 and further charges in December 2025. Jury selection took place on 12 October 2026.
On the stand, Brand said he had been “obsessed” with sex in his younger years but denied having a goal of sleeping with 5,000 women. Mark Pinheiro told the trial that Brand had boasted on a car journey to the Labour party conference in Bournemouth about techniques for “pulling” women and an ambition to sleep with 5,000 women. Asked about a captioned childhood photo in his memoir My Booky Wook, Brand denied pretending to be gay to attract women. He also said he had stored one fan accuser’s number under the letter “T”, which he said stood for “tart”.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC accused Brand of forging his case around his alleged victims’ evidence, which he rejected. The prosecution has described him as a “sexual predator”. Brand said the allegations had had a “devastating” impact on his life, blamed the media for his downfall, and said he had been unable to find friends or former colleagues willing to give evidence in his defence.
Among the specific allegations, one woman says Brand raped her on the last night of Soapbox Cabaret performances staged on the fringes of the 1999 Labour conference in Bournemouth. Another says he raped a fan she met at a stand-up performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. Brand has denied the charges against him.
