Russell Brand tells London jury friends deserted him and that consent is fundamental

London, United Kingdom. British comedian and actor Russell Brand told a jury on Wednesday that friends and colleagues abandoned him once accusations of sex crimes surfaced, and that consent was fundamental. He gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court in the third week of his trial.

Charges and denial

Brand, 51, faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. The charges involve six women and cover the period from 1999 to 2009. He is the former husband of US singer Katy Perry and has pleaded not guilty to every allegation.

Related: Russell Brand told police he never had non-consensual sex, London court hears at his trial

RelatedRussell Brand told police he never had non-consensual sex, London court hears at his trial

In the witness box, Brand answered with a loud, clear denial when his lawyer asked whether he had committed any of the alleged offences.

Impact on his life

Brand, who wore a black suit, an open-neck white shirt and a loose black tie, described the fallout as “devastating”. He said friends had turned away from him and that nobody was willing to testify on his behalf. His lawyer, Ian Winter, asked whether those people would now refuse to have anything to do with him, and Brand answered in the negative.

Brand also spoke about how his public profile had grown over the years. He said his 2010 marriage to Katy Perry brought him “staggering fame”. The couple separated 14 months later.

Background to the case

The jury has heard that all of the complainants approached detectives after a documentary was broadcast in 2023. Several newspaper articles also appeared at that time, containing anonymous allegations from other women who are not part of the trial.

Prosecutors finished presenting their case earlier on Wednesday and have characterised Brand as a sexual predator. They allege that he raped a woman he met at a fringe event during the 1999 Labour Party conference. They also say he forced a woman to perform oral sex in the toilets of a London bar in 2004, and that he molested another woman at a radio station in 2004 or 2005.