Jury in Russell Brand rape and sexual assault trial retires to consider verdicts

Judge tells jurors he will be able to accept only a unanimous decision on seven charges against the comedian

The jury in Russell Brand’s rape and sexual assault trial has retired to consider its verdicts.

Brand, 51, has been described as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator during the three-week trial at Southwark crown court. The comedian is accused of seven offences, including rape and sexual assault, against six women in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999. He denies all the charges.

Addressing the jury of eight men and four women, the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, said: “I can only accept a verdict from all 12 of you that is a unanimous verdict.”

The judge had earlier begun summing up the evidence in the case by going through each count on the indictment.

In her closing speech on Friday, the prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, said six women who did not know each other had come forward to accuse Brand of a similar pattern of behaviour.

“Six women who have nothing to gain, who have not sought the limelight, who have not looked out for some form of publicity, who have not taken part in a documentary, not made claims for compensation,” she said.

“There is no benefit to them, apart from perhaps some closure by coming before you and telling you their accounts of what happened to them so long ago.”

Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, said in his closing speech on Monday that a Dispatches documentary about the comedian’s alleged sexual misconduct had “poisoned the wells” of justice against him.

He also said there had been “monstrous delays” in the women in the criminal trial coming forward to police, and he questioned why Brand had been accused of “only three rapes in 10 years” out of all the women he had slept with.

Brand made no comment to the press when he arrived at court on Tuesday morning accompanied by his wife, Laura Brand, and members of his entourage. He wore a knee-length black wool coat over a black suit with a long white scarf.

Brand is accused of three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. An allegation of indecent assault was changed to a charge of attempted indecent assault last week. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.