Notícia
28 de out de 2026
Russell Brand Says Allegations Upended His Life as He Denies Charges
Russell Brand told jurors the allegations left him isolated and unable to secure defence witnesses, while prosecutors pressed him on whether he was shifting blame toward the media. He denies all charges.
Russell Brand’s defence at Southwark Crown Court has turned on two sharply different accounts: his assertion that every encounter was consensual, and the prosecution’s challenge to his response to allegations made by six women.
Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. The alleged offences span 1999 to 2009. He told the court that consent was “fundamental, essential, necessary” and “more important than sex itself.”1
His evidence focused not only on denying the individual allegations, but also on the consequences he says followed reporting and a 2023 Channel 4 programme. Brand said the publicity was “devastating” and that he could not persuade anyone with relevant evidence to testify for him.2 He also said his “entire life has been consumed by these allegations,” describing an account in which friends and colleagues withdrew and his family life was affected.2
That framing differs from the prosecution’s approach. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones directly asked whether Brand blamed Dispatches and the media, prompting him to say the question was difficult because there were different forms of media and he had himself been part of it.3 The exchange put the focus back on whether his claimed commitment to consent reflected his conduct during the period covered by the charges.
Brand denied the allegations one by one, including claims involving a former MTV worker and women he met through his work and social life. He described some encounters as consensual and rejected suggestions of force, saying of one alleged assault: “Absolutely not.”3
Coverage from across the political press has highlighted the same central contrast: Brand’s account of damaging public fallout alongside his categorical denials, versus the prosecution’s effort to test those denials against the complainants’ allegations. A right-leaning report similarly foregrounded his statement that consent was “more important than sex” and his description of “staggering” fame.4 The trial continues.