Russell Brand’s rape trial at Southwark Crown Court in London has moved from his stage shows to the private encounters that followed. Jurors this week heard a woman say a consensual night at his Hampstead home became anal rape in 2009. Brand, 51, denies all seven charges.
The case against him, spanning 1999 to 2009, involves six women and charges of three rapes, three sexual assaults and one indecent assault. Brand has pleaded not guilty. The woman at the center of this week’s evidence is the fourth complainant to be heard, according to the account of her 2009 meeting with him at the Hammersmith Apollo.
Apollo Dressing Room Visit Led to Hampstead House, Court Hears
The woman said she was a big fan; her father had bought tickets for her and a friend. In a police interview played to the court, she said she had a boyfriend but went to Brand’s dressing room, where she performed a sex act on him.
Asked by the detective whether anal sex was ever discussed, she answered No.
24 Witnesses Recount What the Woman Told Them at the Time
On Thursday the court heard from 24 witnesses connected to the woman. Her friend, giving evidence by video link, said the woman described the encounter as having really, really hurt
. The friend asked whether she had said no, and was told lots of times
, the, BBC reported.
Her parents said she feared she had contracted HIV. A colleague described her as ashen, greyish, and looked ill
, and relayed that she was bleeding everywhere
. Another friend said the woman told her Brand called her dirty and was cold and keen to see her go.
The sources differ on one detail. The Guardian quotes the father as saying his daughter answered yes
several times when he asked if she had told Brand to stop; the BBC’s account has her answering no
several times. Both outlets report the same surrounding statement, in which he told her it was rape.
Ian Winter KC Presses Consent and a June 2025 Statement
Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, put it to the woman that she was young, obsessed with him and agreed to what he wanted. She replied that she did not. She said Brand didn’t act like he’d done something criminal
afterward; Winter answered, That’s because you consented.
ABC reported that she insisted she had not consented.
Winter also cross-examined her former boyfriend about a June 2025 statement in which he said she had come round
to anal sex. The boyfriend confirmed saying it, but added that she had surrendered
and that surrender doesn’t negate the attack
.
The woman said she went to police in 2025 because she no longer wanted to carry guilt or shame, and said the cross-examination made her feel she had brought it on herself.
Brand’s Texts Six Months Later Meet the Crown’s Case
The woman told police Brand texted her about six months later saying he wanted to push her further
. She said he wrote that she was dirty. Her reply, she said, was that he had treated her like an animal, and his answer was an immediate I’m sorry
.
Prosecutors portray Brand as a ruthless
and manipulative predator, Yahoo News Australia reported. The defense is expected to argue that past encounters have been reimagined
. Brand told police after his arrest, per Reuters via the Sydney Morning Herald, that he never engaged in non-consensual activity.
Prosecution Aims to Finish Monday as Brand’s Testimony Stays Open
Justice Bennathan told jurors the aim is to finish the prosecution case Monday, with the defense not starting before Tuesday morning. Trial length estimates differ: the SMH reported about six weeks, while Yahoo News Australia said up to 10.
ABC noted the unanswered question: whether Brand will step into the witness box.