Russell Brand rape trial begins in UK as prosecutors open case
Allegations of rape and sexual assault lead to the trial of Russell Brand in London. Prosecutors describe Brand as a ‘ruthless sexual predator’ as the case involving six women opens. Brand denies the charges and states he is hopeful for a good outcome. Fox News correspondent Stephanie Bennett reports on the expected six-week trial.
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Russell Brand’s wife, Laura Brand, took the stand Thursday as a defense witness, one day after the comedian and actor testified in his ongoing rape and sexual assault trial.
Brand, 51, is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and vehemently denies the allegations.
According to Sky News, Brand acknowledged that he had been “reckless” and used his fame to pursue sexual relationships, but insisted that the encounters were consensual. He also told the jury that consent was “fundamental, essential and necessary.”
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Russell Brand’s wife, Laura Brand, took the stand in the actor’s rape and sexual assault trial. (Getty Images)
During Laura’s testimony, the mom of three — who first met her husband when she was 19, and he was 31 — opened up about the start of their relationship.
The pair began dating in 2006, but split the following year due to Brand’s difficulty with monogamy and her “inexperience.”
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“When I met him, I was aware that he liked women, and I was aware toward the latter half of that year that he was engaging with other women,” Laura told the court, per Sky News. “I was not interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people. I was invested; we both had told each other we loved each other, but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous.”
The allegations against Russell Brand were first brought to light in 2023. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The couple rekindled their relationship in 2015 and married in 2017. They share three children.
Laura described Brand as “caring and kind, a wonderful father to our children, and an amazing, attentive husband,” adding that he has an “eye for detail I have never known before.”
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“I feel very seen by him,” she said. “We have a very honest, frank and clear relationship and marriage.… Our relationship has always been [about] honesty. I love him very much.”
According to the outlet, there was a brief moment of tension in court when defense attorney Ian Winter asked Laura about her “view as to the truth of the allegations.”
The judge quickly intervened, telling the attorney that Laura was not an expert witness. The jury was temporarily sent out of the courtroom.
Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London on Oct. 29, 2026, ahead of his trial on rape and sexual assault charges. He has denied all charges. (Getty Images)
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Prosecutors allege that Brand committed the offenses against six women over a 10-year period. The women have testified in court about alleged encounters at a hotel, a bar, a radio station, a workplace and Brand’s home.
Brand has denied forcing any of the women to engage in sexual activity against their will.
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In a video posted to X last year, Brand thanked his fans for messages of support, then criticized the British government and legal system before addressing the charges directly.
He explained that he “was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
Brand added, “Of course, I’m now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
He wrapped up his video by assuring his followers that he’d continue to address the allegations against him.
As police explained in a press release, detectives began investigating Brand after allegations were made public by U.K. media outlets Channel 4 and The Sunday Times in September 2023.
The outlets launched a joint investigation into the allegations, resulting in a lengthy article on the Times’ website, as well as an episode of Channel 4’s documentary series, “Dispatches,” called “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight.” Both contained a number of anonymous complaints, with women accusing Brand of physical and emotional abuse and bullying, as well as some instances of sexual assault.
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Russell Brand denied the claims shortly after they were made public, saying in a video statement shared on social media that his relationships were “always consensual.” (Getty Images)
Brand denied the claims shortly after they were made public, saying in a video statement shared on social media that his relationships were “always consensual.”
The actor revealed that he received a few inquiries from media outlets with regard to “a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”
“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said.
According to Brand, the encounters occurred during a “time of promiscuity” but were “always consensual.” He also noted that he “was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well.”
“To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play?” he asked.
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Fox News Digital’s Janelle Ash and Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this post.