Judge begins summing up in Russell Brand trial
The judge has begun summing up the evidence in Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault trial, where the 51-year-old denies all seven charges.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the judge's summing up and the rival closing arguments at Southwark.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC News at One reported that the judge in Russell Brand's trial had begun summing up the evidence and agreed facts at Southwark Crown Court. The broadcast said the jury would be sent away to deliberate, with the case now in its fourth week.
Brand, 51, denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, the BBC reported. The allegations relate to six female complainants over a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. The broadcaster said Brand arrived at court with his wife, Laura, and members of his entourage.
Adina Campbell, the BBC's UK correspondent, reported from court that the prosecution and defence had given closing arguments. The lead defence barrister, Ian Winter KC, said Brand had been living a highly promiscuous life at the time of the alleged offences, but that it was entirely lawful. He also said journalists were to blame for a one-sided Channel 4 documentary that he said poisoned the well of justice.
The lead prosecuting barrister, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, said the women in the case had been haunted by the alleged offences and had nothing to gain, BBC News at One reported. Brand denies all of the charges against him. The trial continues.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Russell Brand denies the charges, which cover a decade of his entertainment career. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by Sky News |
| Only on one channel | ||
| The defence said Brand had lived a promiscuous but lawful life at the time of the alleged offences and criticised a Channel 4 documentary as one-sided and prejudicial. | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The judge started summarising the evidence and agreed facts before the jury was sent out to deliberate. | Not reported by Sky News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West's report was a straightforward court update from Southwark Crown Court, led by UK correspondent Adina Campbell. It focused on the judge's summing up, the seven charges and the competing claims in the closing arguments. The tone was neutral and procedural, with no broader reaction or outside analysis.
- “the judge has started summing up all of the evidence and agreed facts before the jury is sent away to start deliberating”
- “The 51-year-old is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault, all of which he denies.”
- “the women in this case had been haunted by the alleged offences and had nothing to gain”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.