British comedian and former actor, Russell Brand has been described by prosecutors as a “ruthless” and manipulative sexual predator as his trial on multiple sexual offence charges began at Southwark Crown Court in London.
The 51-year-old faces seven charges involving six women, including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.
Brand denies all the charges.
Opening the prosecution’s case on Wednesday, October 14, barrister Riel Karmy-Jones KC told jurors that the women had come forward independently and did not know one another.
She alleged that Brand used his celebrity status and personal charm to pursue women, disregarding their objections in some encounters.
“His desire, strong desire, for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious,” she told the court, adding that he could be charming when seeking something but demanding when his advances were resisted.
The court heard separate accounts from the six complainants, including allegations involving a hotel room during a Labour Party conference in 1999, an incident involving an MTV worker, and alleged assaults involving women connected to his work in entertainment.
One complainant alleges that Brand raped her in 1999. Prosecutors told jurors that, when questioned by police, he said he did not remember the incident and maintained that he had never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.
Brand’s former flatmate, Mark Pinheiro, was among the first witnesses to give evidence. He told the court that Brand had once said an encounter with a woman might have gone “a little bit too far”.
The defence will have the opportunity to challenge the prosecution’s evidence as the proceedings continue.
The trial is expected to last approximately six weeks.
