Russell Brand faces rape and sexual assault charges at Southwark Crown Court

Russell Brand is on trial at Southwark Crown Court where prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC has outlined accusations from six women who allege he attacked them over the past decade. The women, who do not know each other, have come forward with allegations including rape and sexual assault.

In her closing speech to the jury, Ms Karmy-Jones described a consistent pattern of behaviour alleged by the accusers. This pattern, she stated, began with compliments and flattery, followed by a significant change in personality. "His eyes changed, he snapped, from charming to frightening to nasty," the prosecutor told the court.

Allegations of Coercion and Gaslighting

The prosecutor detailed claims that Brand allegedly did not stop or listen when women said no, continuing until his "ultimate aim" was achieved in the alleged rape cases. Ms Karmy-Jones also suggested that Brand employed a technique known as gaslighting in the aftermath of the alleged incidents, by giving accusers his contact details.

Ms Karmy-Jones emphasised that the six women were independent of each other and had not been influenced by media reporting on Brand's alleged misconduct. She suggested their motivation for speaking to the police was to seek closure. The court heard that the women have provided "vivid" accounts of the alleged offences, with no apparent benefit to them other than telling their stories.

One allegation involves an incident at the Labour Party conference, where a woman claims she was raped in a hotel room. Another account described an alleged attempt by Brand to drag a woman into a toilet at MTV in 2001, an incident the prosecutor demonstrated the duration of using a stopwatch for 20 seconds.

Brand's Defence and Denial

Russell Brand denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one charge of attempted indecent assault. He testified in court that consent is more important than sex itself and denied forcing any sexual activity. Brand stated that he found the accusations made against him in media reports in 2023 "devastating" and conceded that he blames the media "in some ways" for the criminal charges he now faces.

The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court.