Russell Brand trial latest: Comedian admits ‘misusing’ his fame for ‘beyond reckless philandering and idiocy’

Russell Brand has admitted he “dedicated” a lot of his life to “reckless philandering”, while being questioned over alleged rape and sexual assault charges.

He told jurors: “I do recognise I have been a very determined and focused man and with regard to the latter, with women, of course which is the subject of my trial, I’ve been persuasive, seductive, begging and flirting, and dedicated a lot of my life to what seems now beyond reckless, philandering, and idiocy.”

The comedian acknowledged that his recollection “includes small details that are inconsistent”, as he faces questioning over rape charges.

He told his trial he has no defence witnesses because no one will “touch him with a barge pole” after allegations against him emerged.

During his cross-examination at Southwark Crown Court, he said “I was in a position of fame, a successful person who was admired and I misused the commodity very selfishly”.

Brand told the court he had suffered “devastating” consequences to being accused of rape and sexual misconduct by the Sunday Times, Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches in September 2023.

Brand denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and a charge of attempted indecent assault. The trial continues.

Key Points

• Brand to give evidence at trial for first time
• Today a 'day of truth and justice', comedian tells reporters
• Comedian tells trial he thinks consent is 'more important than sex itself'
• Brand admitted “misusing” his fame to facilitate sexual activity
• No one prepared to give evidence on my behalf, Brand says

RECAP: Brand says he does not know how many women he has slept with

18:45 , Joe Middleton

Brand told the court he does not know how many women he has slept with in his life.

Ms Karmy-Jones asked Brand why he did not reach out to the woman he allegedly raped at his home when she told him he had treated her “like an animal”.

“I would now, but then, no”, he said.

Brand said he apologised in a text, and told the court: “If someone is upset, and feels they have been treated badly, I do and would apologise.”

Asked if he did not care how the woman was, Brand replied: “I recognise the inference, but sort of, yeah.”

And when asked if the woman was “just another conquest” in his attempt to sleep with 5,000 women, Brand told the court: “I really don’t know the number, but it’s difficult to dispute that’s how I conducted myself in the pursuit of willing sexual partners.”

RECAP: Brand denies leaving woman bleeding after alleged rape

18:18 , Joe Middleton

Brand denied leaving a woman “bleeding and in pain and very upset” after an alleged anal rape at his home in 2009.

Ms Karmy-Jones suggested he “extracted” himself from the situation after telling her to clean up the mess.

“You got someone else to take the problem away,” Ms Karmy-Jones said.

“Well I can’t remember,” Mr Brand said.

“She had to clear up the physical mess and someone who worked with you had to clear up her,” the prosecutor added.

“That’s really not what I remember," Brand said.

Pictured: Russell Brand leaving court

17:01 , Holly Evans

Evidence has concluded

16:35 , Holly Evans

Brand’s evidence has concluded.

The judge told the jury that he expects them to start deliberating on their verdicts on Tuesday.

Comedian said he 'dedicated a lot' of his life to 'beyond reckless philandering'

16:31 , Holly Evans

Brand said he was “comfortable” allowing his fame to “facilitate sexual access”.

Responding to questions from the prosecutor, he said the complainants are “different with different qualities”.

He went on: “As I became more successful and famous I was very comfortable allowing that to facilitate sexual access which I agree with you was wrong.”

Brand said he “dedicated” a lot of his life to “philandering”.

He told jurors: “I do recognise I have been a very determined and focused man and with regard to the latter, with women, of course which is the subject of my trial, I’ve been persuasive, seductive, begging and flirting, and dedicated a lot of my life to what seems now beyond reckless, philandering, and idiocy.”

Brand admitted “misusing” his fame to facilitate sexual activity

16:16 , Amy-Clare Martin

Challenged by Ms Karmy-Jones what he had done to upset the last rape complainant, a fan who he met in 2009, the comedian admitted he misused his fame.

He said “I was in a position of fame, a successful person who was admired and I misused the commodity very selfishly”.

He later added: “Certainly as I became more and more successful and famous I was very comfortable allowing that to facilitate sexual activity.”

Challenged if he would remove “anything that’s in the way” to get what he wanted, he agreed he had been a “very determined and focussed man”, adding: “I have been persuasive, seductive, begging and flirting and dedicated a lot of my life to what seems now beyond reckless philandering and idiocy.”

Brand says the accusations against him have been 'deeply traumatic'

16:04 , Holly Evans

Russell Brand said it has been “deeply traumatic” since allegations have been made against him, adding that he has focused on recalling events “at the expense of my marriage, my children and my health”.

In response to questions from prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC in relation to alleged inconsistencies in his prepared statement to police and what he has told the jury with regard to one of the complainants, Brand said: “Ms Karmy-Jones, I completely agree.

“Since these events occurred there’s been escalating recollection.

“Its been a deeply traumatic episode of my life.

“I’ve focused on at the expense of my marriage, my children and health. I ask your forgiveness, well not your forgiveness.

“I recognise that this recollection includes small details that are inconsistent and I acknowledge that.”

Brand unable to explain massage request from entourage

15:56 , Holly Evans

Brand denied having “control” during the Channel 4 recording, and could not explain why he had not asked one of his own entourage for the massage.

He told the court he “couldn’t see what benefit would be derived” from putting his head in the woman’s lap.

Asked by Ms Karmy-Jones if he had found it funny, Brand replied: “I don’t remember. I don’t think it’s funny now.”

The prosecutor told him: “We are dealing with the man you were, not the man you are now”, and Brand replied: “Quite probably he thought it was funny, it’s not very nice.”

Brand said he got 'more clarity' on encounter with fan after seeing police statements

15:25 , Tom Barnes

Brand told the court he got “more clarity” on a sexual encounter with a fan after seeing prosecution witness statements.

He said the statements “helped me to understand my general recollection”, and explain why his defence statement in the criminal trial was more detailed than his statements to police.

“I recollected it with more clarity – sex toys, sexual talk,” he said.

Brand has been accused of constructing his defence to the rape and sexual assault allegations around the evidence against him.

Brand denies leaving woman bleeding after alleged rape

15:12 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand denied leaving a woman “bleeding and in pain and very upset” after an alleged anal rape at his home in 2009.

Ms Karmy-Jones suggested he “extracted” himself from the situation after telling her to clean up the mess.

“You got someone else to take the problem away,” Ms Karmy-Jones said.

“Well I can’t remember,” Mr Brand said.

“She had to clear up the physical mess and someone who worked with you had to clear up her,” the prosecutor added.

“That’s really not what I remember," Brand said.

Brand says he does not know how many women he has slept with

15:06 , Tom Barnes

Brand told the court he does not know how many women he has slept with in his life.

Ms Karmy-Jones asked Brand why he did not reach out to the woman he allegedly raped at his home when she told him he had treated her “like an animal”.

“I would now, but then, no”, he said.

Brand said he apologised in a text, and told the court: “If someone is upset, and feels they have been treated badly, I do and would apologise.”

Asked if he did not care how the woman was, Brand replied: “I recognise the inference, but sort of, yeah.”

And when asked if the woman was “just another conquest” in his attempt to sleep with 5,000 women, Brand told the court: “I really don’t know the number, but it’s difficult to dispute that’s how I conducted myself in the pursuit of willing sexual partners.”

Prosecutor questions Brand on alleged rape of woman he met at gig

15:01 , Tom Barnes

Addressing allegations of raping a woman he met at the Hammersmith Apollo, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said: “Did you say to her ‘I can’t stop when I’m like this’?” to which he said: “No.”

The prosecutor went on: “So what did you do afterwards to make her feel better?”

Brand replied: “I didn’t realise there was a requirement to make her feel better.”

Ms Karmy-Jones added: “You knew she hadn’t consented, didn’t you?”

He replied: “No, I feel very confident in her consent.”

Brand describes threesome with fans after gig as 'marvellous night'

14:45 , Tom Barnes

Brand said it was a “marvellous night” when he had a threesome with two fans backstage at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Brand is accused of telling a friend in 1999 that he would never leave an encounter with a woman without a conquest.

One of the women who gave Brand oral sex during the Apollo threesome in 2009 has accused him of raping her during a second meeting a few days later.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC suggested it was an example of Brand “never leaving without a conquest” because the woman had refused to have full sex with him backstage.

Brand replied: “That actually went down as quite a marvellous night by the criteria of the time.”

Brand insists he does not remember alleged radio station assault

14:38 , Tom Barnes

Questioning Brand about the alleged sexual assault at Choice FM, Riel Karmy-Jones asked: “You don’t remember her at all?” to which Brand said he did not.

The prosecutor added: “Are you being selective with your memory?”

Brand said he was doing his “best” to remember what happened in the time period being discussed.

“It wouldn’t have troubled you to engage with a woman in the workplace… to engage in sexual activity,” Ms Karmy-Jones added.

“In private,” Brand replied.

Continuing to question Brand about the alleged sexual assault, Ms Karmy-Jones said: “You pushed (the woman) against a wall – she’s a woman, alone, you saw her and pushed her against the wall.

“Does that not ring any bells?”

“No,” Brand replied.

He denied being aggressive with the woman or thinking the situation was “funny”.

Brand denies woman was 'dazed' after toilet incident

14:32 , Tom Barnes

Brand was accused by the prosecutor of giving the woman his phone number after the toilet incident to “make (her) think this was all normal”.

“It was quite clear she didn’t want to give you her number,” said Ms Karmy-Jones.

Brand replied: “I don’t remember”, and said it was “not at all my recollection” that the woman had been dazed afterwards.

He also told the court that “people were accustomed to me coming out of the bathroom, it was not something I would have been shy about”.

Brand denies assaulting woman in Soho bar toilet

14:25 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said the woman who accuses him of rape in the bar in Soho in 2004 was invited into a toilet for “fooling around”.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC asked: “What were you inviting her into the toilet for?”

“For fooling around, making out,” Brand said.

Asked why he did not fool around in the bar instead, Brand said: “Because it’s better to do these things in private.”

“In the toilet,” Ms Karmy-Jones continued.

Brand said “private” was the best word to describe the reason for going there.

Brand denied touching the woman’s breasts, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the toilet, during the encounter.

Asked by the prosecutor how the interaction came about, he said typically he would “see someone enthusiastic and beautiful and tell them that they’re beautiful and ask them if they wanted to spend some time in private”.

Asked by the prosecutor what he said to the woman on this occasion, Brand said: “I’m afraid I don’t remember.”

Brand resumes giving evidence after lunch

14:09 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand has continued giving evidence.

The prosecutor asked Brand: “Sex in toilets happened a lot didn’t it?”

Brand said: “Yes.”

Recap: Russell Brand gives morning of evidence to trial

13:18 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand gave evidence for the first time over sexual assault and rape allegations at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.

The comedian told the court he had suffered “devastating” consequences to being accused of rape and sexual misconduct by the Sunday Times, Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches in September 2023.

He said he had not been able to find anyone willing to give evidence on his behalf after the allegations were made public.

Brand, who denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and a charge of attempted indecent assault, told the court he thought consent is “more important than sex itself”.

At times during cross-examination from prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, he went entirely silent and stared back at the barrister for several seconds after she had posed a question.

Trial breaks for lunch

13:13 , Tom Barnes

The trial of Russell Brand has broken for lunch and will resume at 2pm.

Brand says judicial process taking 'a lot of focus'

13:06 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said it is taking “a lot of focus” to participate in the judicial process.

Responding to questions from the prosecutor about the alleged incident in the late 1990s, he said: “This is 1999 it’s taking a lot of focus and a lot of reflection to do the very best to participate in this process with you.”

Brand denies not caring if Labour conference encounter was consensual

13:03 , Tom Barnes

Brand denied not caring whether the woman he met in Bournemouth was interested in having sex with him.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC asked: “You pushed her on the bed, against her will, didn’t you, Mr Brand?”

“No,” Brand said.

The prosecutor continued: “You used your knowledge of the fact that she had been raped before against her when she said no.”

“No,” Brand said.

Ms Karmy-Jones added: “You just didn’t care whether she was interested in having sex with you or not, did you? You didn’t care did you?”

“Yes, I cared very much,” the defendant said.

Brand shown extract from his book on 'acting gay to attract girls'

12:58 , Tom Barnes

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC put to Russell Brand that he was “pretending to be gay” to gain the trust of the woman in Bournemouth in 1999.

The jury were then shown a short extract from Brand’s book My Booky Wook, published in 2007, in which the defendant wrote a caption next to a young picture of himself.

The caption read: “This is the exact moment when I decided to act gay to attract girls.

“It took 15 years to produce results.”

The prosecutor said: “That’s something you would do, wasn’t it? That was something you would do to make girls trust you?”

“No,” Brand replied.

Brand denies pretending he could not remember Labour conference encounter

12:57 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand denied he “pretended for a very long time” that he could not remember the encounter at Labour party conference in 1999, until police located pictures of him taken by his accuser in her storage unit.

The prosecutor also challenged Brand on why it had taken eight months for him to recall that he had saved another of his accusers in his phone under the code “T” for tart and “AP” for anal play.

The prosecutor accused Brand of staying silent on the accusations in his police interviews so that he “forged” his account around the evidence.

“Were you waiting to see all that evidence before you gave your account?”, asked Ms Karmy-Jones.

Brand replied: “I was doing my best to participate.”

Brand tells court he was more interested in having sex at Labour conference than cabaret show

12:56 , Tom Barnes

Brand told the court he was “pretty excited” to go to the Labour Party conference in 1999, but was more interested in having sex than the cabaret show he was performing in.

“I was really excited, my mum and dad came, it was a big deal”, he said, of the conference.

“I had never been to the Labour Party conference. Ken Livingstone, Margaret Beckett, Tony Benn came. We gave out flyers. It was a pretty exciting time.”

Under questioning, he said: “I would have been more interested in having sex than the show.”

Brand was questioned about a conversation in the car with Mark Pinheiro on the way to the conference, when he is accused of saying he had a goal to sleep with 5,000 women and “boasted about pick-up strategies”.

“While I don’t remember, it’s entirely possible it’s the kind of badinage (banter) I would have engaged in when I was 24”, he said.

Asked if he had said he would not leave a situation with a woman without a conquest, Brand replied: “That sounds specifically like a riff on a Woody Allen joke when he said the only advice my dad ever gave me on his death bed was ‘always try and (f***) the waitress’.

“It was a joke.”

Prosecutor questions Brand over 1999 allegation

12:54 , Tom Barnes

Ms Karmy-Jones started probing Brand about the alleged incident in 1999, and suggested he only began to recall events at the Labour Party conference when photographs of him were found in a storage unit.

“It is right that you knew you had to say something then because you knew there was evidence to support her,” the prosecutor said, to which Brand replied: “No.”

Ms Karmy-Jones continued: “Moving to 1999, when you were an aspiring actor and comedian, did you have two passions in life – sex and comedy – at that stage?”

“West Ham, animals, veganism, at that time,” Brand said.

Prosecutor accuses Brand of 'forging' police statements around evidence

12:42 , Tom Barnes

The prosecutor accused Brand of staying silent on the accusations in his police interviews so that he “forged” his account around the evidence.

“Were you waiting to see all that evidence before you gave your account?”, asked Ms Karmy-Jones.

Brand replied: “I was doing my best to participate.”

The prosecutor pointed out his police interviews stretched over 18 months, when he “answered nothing”.

“Did you wait to get the material and then structured your account around the evidence”, she asked, before suggesting Brand had “forged what you said today around the evidence.”

He responded he had been “doing his best” during the police interviews.

Brand denies blaming alleged victims

12:37 , Tom Barnes

Brand denied putting “blame” on his alleged victims for “throwing temptation into your path”.

Ms Karmy-Jones asked the comedian: “During the course of the trial, it has been suggested that they could have fought, could have screamed, could have done a number of different things.

“Are you sure that you don’t blame them?”

“Yes,” Brand replied.

Brand denies being 'unable to function without sex' in his younger years

12:33 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand admitted he was “obsessed” with sex in his younger years but denied being unable to function without it.

Ms Karmy-Jones asked him: “Do you accept that you were obsessed by sex in your younger years?”

“Yes,” he replied.

The prosecutor added: “Do you accept that you were desperate for it and sometimes couldn’t function without it?”

“No,” Brand said.

Ms Karmy-Jones then asked: “Do you accept that on some occasions you would ask those you worked with if you could ‘go out and have sex now’?”

Brand said: “I don’t remember.”

Brand taking long pauses after some prosecution questions

12:32 , Tom Barnes

Ms Karmy-Jones asked Brand: “Did you tell Mr Pinheiro you weren’t prepared to leave a situation with a woman without some form of conquest?”

Brand replied: “I don’t remember.”

At times during Brand’s cross-examination, he went entirely silent and stared back at Ms Karmy-Jones for several seconds after she had posed a question.

When asked if it was untrue that he had been “completely abandoned” after first being accused, Brand stayed quiet and Ms Karmy-Jones asked if it is “a difficult question”.

Eventually he responded: “I’m not sure I entirely understand it.”

Consent 'absolutely non-negotiable', Brand tells court

12:27 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said that consent is “non-negotiable”.

The prosecutor asked him: “You said that consent was fundamentally necessary and in many ways more important than sex itself, that wasn’t what you thought between 1999 and 2009 was it?”

Brand said: “Consent is absolutely non-negotiable.”

Brand denies 'goal' of sleeping with 5,000 women

12:25 , Tom Barnes

Brand denied having a “goal” of sleeping with 5,000 women.

Prosecutor Ms Karmy-Jones asked: “Is it a goal you may have had?”

Brand replied: “I don’t agree, I don’t recall the conversation you are referring to.”

One of Brand’s former friends, Mark Pinheiro, told the court about the comment being made in 1999.

Ms Karmy-Jones asked: “Have you set yourself a goal of sleeping with 5,000 women?

Brand replied: “No, not a goal.”

Prosecution begins cross-examination of Brand

12:24 , Tom Barnes

Beginning her cross-examination of Russell Brand, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, she began by asking: “You blame Dispatches, don’t you?”

After a period of silence, she asked the question again, to which he said: “What for, may I ask?”

When told the prosecutor meant the allegations, Brand said: “Yes.”

Ms Karmy-Jones continued: “You blame the media for these allegations, don’t you?”

After another period of silence, she added: “Is that a difficult question, Mr Brand?”

He responded: “In some ways.”

Brand says he is innocent as defence finishes questions

12:21 , Tom Barnes

Concluding his questions for the defendant, Mr Winter said: “Did you sexually assault her that day?”

“No,” Brand replied.

The defence barrister continued: “Are you guilty or innocent of these allegations?”

“I’m innocent,” he said.

Questioned on whether he was guilty or innocent or the allegations made on the indictment, he said: “I’m innocent.”

Brand denies accuser told him to stop during sex

12:16 , Tom Barnes

Brand said the fan accusing him of raping her at his home in 2009 had not said “no” or told him to stop as they were having sex.

“Did she tell you to stop, or that she didn’t want to proceed in that way?”, said Mr Winter.

Brand replied: “No.”

He told jurors he had not forced her into anal sex, he described her attitude as “coquettishness, coyness”, and he said she had never complained of pain.

Mr Winter asked: “Did she say anything to you?”, and Brand replied “no”, before adding that she had not asked him to stop.

Despite being asked to keep his voice up, Brand soon slipped back into a quieter voice.

Brand told the jury he did not remember what happened immediately after he and the woman had sex, but said watching the TV and “hanging out… sounds right”.

Brand says he saved accuser's name in his phone as 'T for tart'

12:06 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand saved one of his accuser’s names in his phone along with the letter “T” which stood for “tart”, he told the jury.

He also saved her name with the letters “AP” which stood for “anal play”, he added, following a consensual threesome with her in his dressing room.

He denies anally raping the fan at his home Hampstead, north London, during another sexual encounter in 2009.

Brand says he does not remember 'picking woman out' of gig audience

12:02 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said he would “pick out people” at gigs and invite them to the bar.

Questioned about a woman he is accused of raping after meeting her at one of his Hammersmith Apollo stand-up performances, he said he was unable to remember her or the events when interviewed by police.

Brand said he has subsequently been able to rejog his memory of meeting her.

He was asked if he remembered picking her out to go to the bar upstairs, to which Brand said: “I do not.”

Ian Winter KC asked him: “Did you however pick out people in order to invite them to the bar area.”

Brand said: “Yes.”

Brand pictured giving evidence in court sketches

11:58 , Tom Barnes

I don't remember pinning radio station worker to wall, Brand tells court

11:50 , Tom Barnes

Turning to the allegation that he pinned a radio worker to a wall and sexually assaulted her in front of members of his entourage, Brand said he could not remember the incident.

Mr Winter asked if he had “pushed her against a wall, groped her, kissed her sloppily, and behaved in that manner towards her”, and Brand replied: “No.”

He told jurors he sometimes visited the Capital Radio studios, and if there with an entourage it was likely to have included his writing partner Matt Morgan, his agent Nik Linnen, and two hair and make-up artists.

Brand denies assaulting woman at radio station in 2000s

11:42 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand has denied he sexually assaulted a woman at Choice FM in the mid 2000s.

Mr Winter asked the defendant: “In your view, jumping on a woman and sloppily kissing her, does that turn you on sexually?”

“No,” Brand said.

The defence barrister continued: “Is that likely to lead to any sexual intercourse with a woman?”

“No,” the defendant replied.

Mr Winter then asked: “Did you do what she said you did?” to which Brand responded: “No.”

Brand tells jury he invited woman to lavatory 'to fool around'

11:25 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand told the jury: “I invited her to go into the lavatory to fool around.”

He said there was “kissing, touching, fondling” and it is possible he got his penis out of his trousers, but insisted it was consensual.

He said the encounter ended because the environment was “unsuitable” to achieve an orgasm.

Later, he went to a bar in Camden where he met some attractive women from the TV channel Babestation, he told the court.

Brand denies assaulting woman in Soho bar

11:19 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand, now standing with his hands in his pockets, told the jury he visited the Nordic Bar in Soho and spent time there to reflect and now he recalls an encounter there.

The comedian denies grabbing a woman’s breasts and forcing a woman to perform a sex act on him in the bar’s toilet in 2004.He described his alleged victim as “wide-eyed, enthusiastic” and “flirty” when he was introduced to her at a party in 2004.

He denied grabbing her breasts, insisting it would not work if his intention was to “charm or seduce” her.

“It wouldn’t work as a chat up line?,” Mr Winter asked.“I never tried it but I can’t imagine it would,” Brand replied.

Brand says he revisited bar where accuser says incident took place

11:11 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said he has visited the bathroom of a bar where the alleged incident took place which has “helped me to recall the encounter”.

He told the court that it was correct that at the time of his interview with the police, he had no memory of meeting the complainant.

Asked if he now has “some recollection of the events”, he said: “Yes.”

He said he went to the “lavatory in question” and “spent time there and reflected”.

Brand added that he has watched her police interview which alongside the visit to the lavatory has “helped me to recall the encounter”.

Brand's barrister asks him about second accuser

11:06 , Tom Barnes

Mr Winter then went on to ask about the second complainant, who alleges Brand attempted to indecently assault her at MTV studios in 2001.

The defence barrister asked Brand, whose voice had dropped to a slightly quieter level, whether he “intended any non-consensual assault, sexual or otherwise” on the woman at MTV.

Brand replied softly: “Of course not.”

Asked if he had any memory of the alleged attempted indecent assault at MTV, Brand replied: “I do not”.

The defendant, who continued to stand with his hands in his pockets, said he remembered his “Spartacus” t-shirt, but replied “I do not” when questioned on whether he had any recollection of grabbing the woman by the arm.

Mr Winter continued: “If you did take her by the arm, were you trying to force her to engage in non-consensual sexual activity?”

Brand responded: “No.”

Brand standing in witness box, answering questions loudly

11:04 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and grey necktie, is standing stiffly in the witness box, with his hands clasped behind his back. He is answering each question loudly and clearly.

He placed his hands in his pockets as the evidence has worn on, after starting the session with his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

At one stage, he turned to his wife Laura Gallacher in the public gallery as he tried to recall when one of his friendships had ended.

His former friend, Mark Pinheiro, gave evidence for the prosecution earlier in the trial about Brand’s past behaviour.

Brand told the court: “He is not my friend, obviously, after the testimony he gave here.”

When trying to identify when they last spoke, he said: “Me and Laura got married in 2016, so maybe around 2016.”

Brand says he 'doesn't think he portrayed himself as gay' to accuser

11:02 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said he does not think he portrayed himself as gay.

Ian Winter KC said the woman said “she may have thought that you were gay”.

The judge asked if that “was a question”.

Mr Winter KC: “I’m just about to ask him my lord.”

He then added: “Do you think that it’s possible you were portraying yourself as being gay?”

Brand responded: “I don’t think so.”

Brand tells court he does not remember 'jumping around hotel room like ostrich'

11:01 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said he does not remember jumping around on the woman’s hotel bed like an “ostrich”, but said he did “mess around, fool around and show off a lot”.

Mr Winter asked the defendant: “She told us she remembers going to the lavatory in the room and when she came out you were wearing a pair of budgie smugglers and jumping around on the bed like an ostrich. Were you?”

Brand said: “I don’t remember that but I did mess around, fool around and show off a lot.”

Questioned whether he made her take photographs, Brand replied: “I don’t know how you make someone take photographs.”

Mr Winter asked again: “Did you?” to which he replied: “No.”

Brand though there was 'possibility of sex' with first accuser

11:00 , Tom Barnes

Brand told the jury he thought there was “at least a possibility of sex” when his first accuser asked him to her hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999.

He said at “bare minimum” he thought it was better than sleeping in his shared accommodation.

“I was 24 years old and I hoped, I thought, there was at least a possibility of sex,” he said, adding that he found the woman attractive.

He said she was an older woman, adding: “She was vivacious, vital, loquacious, interesting for me at that time.”

Consent 'more important than sex itself', Brand says

10:57 , Tom Barnes

Brand told the court consent with women is “more important than sex itself”.

Questioned over an allegation of rape in 1999, Brand said the idea of consent is “fundamental”.

Mr Winter asked: “Is consent important to you?”

Brand replied: “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in many ways more important than sex itself.”

Brand asked by his barrister about first accuser

10:41 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand stood up straight with his hands behind his back while giving evidence from the witness box.

He continued to project loudly to the court, as he answered each question with few words.

Defence barrister Ian Winter KC began asking Brand about the first alleged complainant, who alleges she was raped by the comedian after meeting him on the fringes of the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth in 1999.

Asked if he remembered meeting the woman, Brand replied: “Yes.”

My entire life has been consumed by these allegations, Brand tells court

10:40 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand told the court initially he could not remember any of the complainants but he has since recalled some of the events after more information has emerged in disclosure.

“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations and the impact of these allegations and the accusations,” he said.

“I have devoted myself to these matters.”

Brand says he was blocked from visiting son in hospital over allegations

10:32 , Tom Barnes

Brand told the court he had been blocked from entering Great Ormond Street Hospital to be with his sick baby son after he had been publicly accused of rape.

“The reason given by Great Ormond Street Hospital when my son was receiving open heart surgery and subsequent treatment was due to the material published.

He said he was told “they had to bar my attendance and presence.

“They were unclear about what particular legal reason there was, but that was the reason they gave to my wife Laura and I.”

No one will give evidence on my behalf, Brand says

10:29 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand told the jury the 2023 Dispatches documentary, which alleged sexual misconduct, was “devastating”.

“Have you been able to persuade a single person with relevant evidence to come to give evidence on your behalf?,” Mr Winter asked him.

“I have not,” the comedian replied.

“Will they touch you with a barge pole?”, Mr Winter continued.“No,” Brand replied.

Marriage to Katy Perry brought me 'staggering fame', Brand says

10:26 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand was then asked if, by 2009, he was “really famous”, to which he replied he was.

Mr Winter then asked the defendant if he married “popular music singer” Katy Perry, with Brand responding: “Yes I did”, adding he met her “whenever the VMA awards” were.

Addressing his marriage to Ms Perry, Mr Winter asked Brand: “Did that bring about a sea of change in your life.”

After replying that it did, Mr Winter said: “Just in two words, how did it change?”

Brand replied loudly: “Staggering fame.”

Brand says he was not famous during late 90s and early 00s

10:23 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand said he was not famous in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Asked by his lawyer Ian Winter KC if he had appeared at the Soapbox Cabaret during the Labour Party conference fringe in Bournemouth in 1999, Brand said: “Yes.”

Mr Winter KC asked: “Were you famous at all at that point in time?”

Brand responded: “No.”

Mr Winter KC asked if he started working as a presenter on MTV in 2000 to which Brand said: “Yes.”

Mr Winter asked: “Were you famous in 2000?”

Brand said: “No.”

Brand tells court he denies allegations

10:17 , Amy-Clare Martin

Defence lawyer Ian Winter KC began by putting each of the alleged offences to his client.

Brand responded loudly "no" to each allegation, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Brand sworn in ahead of giving evidence to trial

10:16 , Amy-Clare Martin

Brand spoke loudly and clearly as he took the oath on the Bible and crossed himself afterwards.

Brand tells press today is 'day of truth and justice' as he arrives at court

10:15 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand told reporters that today is the day for “truth and justice” as he arrived at Southwark Crown Court for the latest day of his trial.

The 51-year-old held hands with his wife Laura Gallacher as he exited a black vehicle and approached the central London court.

Asked by reporters if he wanted to say anything, he said: “Due to the circumstances of the day I think it would be inappropriate for me to say anything other than I’m very grateful that today is the day for truth and justice.”

He added that “we are blessed that as of yet we have a system that can accommodate such things”.

Brand wore a navy suit with a white open neck shirt and a folded tie.

Breaking: Brand to give evidence at trial as defence begins

10:13 , Tom Barnes

Russell Brand is set to take the stand on Wednesday morning at his trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Brand walked to the witness box and was sworn in just after 10am.

The comedian denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and a charge of attempted indecent assault.