Russell Brand Takes Stand, Denies All Rape and Sexual Assault Charges: “Today Is the Day for Truth and Justice”

Image: Collected

Actor and comedian Russell Brand categorically denied every allegation against him as he took the witness stand Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court, telling the jury that the claims of rape and sexual assault have had a “devastating” impact on his life.

The 51-year-old entered the courtroom alongside his wife, Laura Gallacher, and told reporters outside: “Today is the day for truth and justice.”

Standing in the witness box, Brand gave his full name — Russell Edward Brand — and answered “no” to each of the seven charges: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Questioned by his barrister, Ian Winter, Brand described how friends and colleagues abandoned him after the accusations surfaced. “My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said. He added that no one with relevant evidence had been willing to testify in his defence.

Brand also recounted being barred from staying with his baby son in hospital while the child underwent open-heart surgery and subsequent treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He said the hospital cited the anonymous allegations published in a newspaper and a television documentary in 2023.

Prosecutors have spent the past two weeks outlining their case. Six women have accused Brand of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2009 in locations including a hotel room, MTV offices, and the toilet of a London bar. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told the jury that Brand was “ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative… a sexual predator.”

As his lawyer walked him through each alleged incident, Brand insisted he never forced anyone to do anything against their will. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in many ways more important than sex itself,” he told the court.

Once a high-profile television and radio host known for his risqué comedy and roles in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, Brand has in recent years moved to Florida and built a large online following with content focused on wellness, conspiracy theories, and his Christian faith.

The trial continues.