Show Notes
On episode 13 of the Trial of Russell Brand podcast, Russell Brand gave evidence for the first time.
Brand’s defence went through the details of each alleged offence, which relate to six women. The comedian told the court two of the allegations of rape were actually consensual sex. He said a third alleged rape did not happen. Consent, Brand insisted, was “fundamental… more important than sex itself”.
During cross-examination, the prosecution repeatedly asked why Brand hadn’t mentioned some of the details he gave in court during his earlier police interviews.
Brand said “there’s been escalating recollection”. He denies all the allegations against him.
Rosamund Urwin and Charlotte Wace are in court every day, and then join Luke Jones to unpack it all.
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More from The Trial of Russell Brand
On the twelfth day of the trial of Russell Brand, the jury were directed to find the defendant not guilty on one count of indecent assault. The judge, Justice Bennathan, told the jury there was insufficient evidence for count 2. This is where Brand was alleged to have grabbed the arm of a woman in the offices of MTV and attempted to drag her into a toilet.
On the eleventh day of the trial of Russell Brand, a former assistant of the comedian remembered him having an “insane sexual appetite”. While Helen Berger didn’t remember witnessing Brand doing anything illegal, in her statement she said that she had worked with lots of celebrities around whom bad behaviour was normalised. “This was on another level.”
On the tenth day of the trial of Russell Brand, it was a non-sitting day for the jury. So, instead – you asked, we answered. We took the time to answer some of the many questions we’ve received. Will Russell Brand be cross-examined? And who is the Russell Brand look-alike who’s been in court every day?
WARNING: This episode contains descriptions some listeners may find distressing.
On the eighth day of the trial of Russell Brand, Woman 5 finished her testimony and was then cross-examined by the defence. Woman 5 said she felt “guilt and shame” but did not consent to a specific sexual act with Brand.