Russell Brand denies rape and sexual assault charges as he testifies at London trial

Russell Brand took the witness stand at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, telling jurors that allegations of sexual misconduct have had a "devastating" effect on his life. He is on trial on charges of rape and sexual assault.

The 51-year-old arrived at court with his wife, Laura Gallacher. He told reporters outside that "today is the day for truth and justice."

In the witness box, Brand took the oath and gave his full name as Russell Edward Brand. He answered "no" to each of the seven charges against him: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Questioned by his lawyer, Ian Winter, Brand said friends and colleagues have abandoned him since the allegations surfaced. He also said nobody with relevant evidence had been willing to testify in court on his behalf. "My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations," he said.

Brand described a personal toll on his family. He said he was barred from staying with his baby son in hospital after anonymous allegations were published in a newspaper and aired in a TV documentary in 2023. According to Brand, Great Ormond Street Hospital cited the published material as the reason while his son was undergoing open heart surgery and later treatment.

Over the first two weeks of the trial, prosecutors laid out their case and jurors heard from six women who accuse Brand of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2009. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told the jury that Brand was "ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative. And, the prosecution say, he was a sexual predator."

The accusers say the incidents took place in locations including a hotel room, the offices of MTV and the toilet of a London bar. When his lawyer asked him about each alleged incident, Brand denied forcing women to do anything against their will. "Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in many ways more important than sex itself," he said.

Brand is known for risque stand-up routines and past battles with drugs and alcohol. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s, hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show, and went on to appear in Hollywood films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. He was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.

In recent years, Brand has stepped away from mainstream media and relocated to Florida. He has built a large online following with videos that mix wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his Christian devotion.