Russell Brand's defence barrister tells jury 2023 allegations "poisoned the wells"

Ian Winter KC, the barrister defending Russell Brand, told jurors at Southwark Crown Court in London on 2 November 2026 that Brand is not a "psychopath who rapes people and thinks it's normal." The Guardian King's Counsel, or KC, is a senior barrister, and Winter is one of the lawyers arguing the case for Brand in the criminal trial.

Brand, 51, is accused of seven offences, including rape and sexual assault, against six women. The allegations span a period of 10 years from 1999. He denies all charges.

Winter told the jury that 2023 allegations about Brand's sexual conduct had "poisoned the wells" of justice. He said that reporting of sexual misconduct allegations in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, and in stories in The Times and The Sunday Times, prompted women to come forward with accusations afterwards. He also said there had been "monstrous delays" before the women in the case came forward to police. The Guardian

The prosecution has put a different view. Riel Karmy-Jones KC, who is prosecuting the case, said in her closing speech that the 2023 reporting did not cause six women to invent or reimagine their encounters with Brand. The Guardian

When the trial opened in London in October, prosecutors described Brand as a "ruthless, calculated sexual predator." He pleaded not guilty that month to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The Guardian

The charges were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service, the public agency that prosecutes criminal cases in England and Wales. It authorised charges against Brand in April 2025 and further charges in December 2025. CPS

One of the women alleges that Brand raped her more than 25 years ago. Reuters The six women who make complaints against him have never met each other. BBC

The jury, a panel of members of the public, will decide whether the prosecution has proved the charges.