Russell Brand trial hears first accuser say he raped her in 1999 hotel room

Russell Brand's trial on rape and sexual assault charges is under way at Southwark Crown Court. The 51-year-old comedian, actor, presenter and podcaster arrived with his wife, Laura Gallacher, and at one point told reporters he felt 'blessed' and 'concerned but hopeful that this process will lead to good outcomes for everybody involved'.

Brand faces seven charges: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault. The allegations relate to six women and are said to have taken place between 1999 and 2009. He denies all charges and has pleaded not guilty. He is on bail. The trial is expected to last around six weeks, though earlier estimates said up to ten weeks.

Prospective jurors were selected and warned not to research the case. A jury of eight men and four women was sworn in, with one reserve. The judge told them to ignore past reporting about Brand and not to discuss the case except together in the jury room.

Opening the prosecution case, Riel Karmy-Jones KC said Brand was ruthless, calculated and manipulative and a sexual predator. She said his desire for sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious. She described him as charming when he wanted something, but demanding and entitled, with a huge sexual appetite and a childlike expectation that his every desire should be met. She said the women did not know each other and had come forward independently. The alleged offences took place in a hotel room, workplaces, a toilet cubicle in a bar and at his home address.

The prosecution outlined allegations including:

• 1999: a woman at a Labour Party conference fringe event in Bournemouth says she was raped in a hotel room.
• 2001: an MTV worker says Brand grabbed her forearm and tried to pull her towards a men's toilet.
• 2004: a woman says Brand grabbed her breasts at a Soho bar, pulled her into a toilet and orally raped her.
• 2004 or 2005: a radio station employee at Choice FM says she was pushed against a wall and groped.
• 2009: a woman says Brand raped her after a comedy gig at the Hammersmith Apollo.
• 2009: a Channel 4 employee says Brand pressed his face into her groin at work.

The court also heard from Mark Pinero, a former flatmate and friend. He said Brand hoped to sleep with more than 5,000 women. He described Brand leaving Bournemouth in 1999, cowering as police cars passed, and saying he might have gone 'a bit too far' with a woman. Another complainant texted Brand at the time to say he had treated her 'like an animal', and he replied 'I'm sorry'. The prosecution said one woman told him she did not want to have sex and he replied: 'Oh come on, come on, don't be a spoilsport.'

On the second day of the trial proper, the first complainant gave evidence behind a screen. The jury was played her police interview from 2023. She said she met Brand at the 1999 Labour Party conference fringe event and went back to her hotel room. She thought he was gay and felt sexually safe. She said he made her take topless photos of him. She alleges he then raped her. She said she felt dirty, blamed herself, had nightmares about being pregnant and wanted to harm herself. She reported to police in 2023 after watching a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary. The judge ruled the jury would not be shown the documentary because it would be unfair, as its allegations had not been tested in court, but jurors heard about it.

Under cross-examination, Brand's barrister Ian Winter KC suggested she had invited him back, that he was playful, childish and flirty, and that she let him persuade her into sex. She rejected this. She said she did not let rape happen and did not consent. She described Brand changing from camp, friendly and effeminate to monster-like, dark, arrogant, performing, scary and demanding. The court was shown photos she took of Brand that night. She cried while giving evidence.

Brand sat in a glass-walled dock, often still and looking straight ahead. At one point he knelt on one knee in a prayer-like pose. His defence says any sexual contact, if it happened, was consensual, and he has never engaged in non-consensual activity. The defence case will be heard later. The trial continues.