LONDON — LONDON (AP) — Russell Brand acted like a “brutal” sexual predator when he attacked six women over a decade, a prosecutor said Wednesday as she opened a rape and sexual assault case against the actor-comedian.
Brand, 51, has denied three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges involve six women and crimes allegedly committed between 1999 and 2009.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told jurors at Southwark Crown Court in London that the six women, who did not know each other, were attacked by Brand “in a hotel room, at their workplace, in a pub toilet stall and at his home address”.
He said at the time that Brand had an “indiscriminate and insatiable” desire for sexual intercourse and that “women were merely a means to an end.”
The prosecutor said Brand could be funny and charming, “a flirtatious person with a huge sexual appetite and a childish expectation of having his every desire met”.
“He was ruthless, calculating, manipulative and the prosecution says he was a sexual predator,” Karmy-Jones said.
Brand listened intently as the prosecutor described each of the alleged incidents, including the allegation that Brand raped a woman in a hotel room during the Labor Party’s annual conference in 1999. Brand, then a rising stand-up comedian, was performing at a cabaret on the sidelines of the conference in the English seaside town of Bournemouth.
Two years later, another woman claims Brand tried to drag her into the men’s restroom of the office building where she worked.
“There can be little doubt as to what Mr Brand’s intentions were,” Karmy-Jones said.
A third woman alleges that Brand verbally raped her in the toilets of a London bar in 2004 and that when she asked him to stop, he said “Don’t be a snob.”
The prosecutor said other complainants included a woman who said Brand kissed and groped her at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and made her feel “dirty and disgusting”; and a then-21-year-old fan says Brand anally raped her at his home after meeting her at one of his shows in 2009.
She said she exchanged text messages with Brand the following year, in which he told her: “You treated me like an animal.” He replied: “I’m sorry.”
The last complainant said that Brand asked for a massage and pressed his face into her crotch during a commercial shoot in 2009.
Karmy-Jones told the jury that none of the alleged victims reported the alleged assaults at the time out of guilt, shame and concern that they would be blamed. He said they went to the police individually after a television program broadcast in 2023 aired anonymous allegations against Brand.
The prosecutor said jurors will hear from the women later in the trial and “I have no doubt you will find their evidence convincing.”
The first witness to give evidence was Brand’s old friend Mark Pinheiro, who accompanied him on a trip to Bournemouth in 1999. She said the day after the alleged rape, Brand suddenly drove them away from town and they appeared “incredibly alert and incredibly scared.”
“Every time a police siren went past the car, Russell would cower behind the side window to avoid being seen,” Pinheiro said.
Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, questioned Pinheiro’s memories of events more than a quarter of a century ago.
Brand denies all accusations. In police interviews, he denied engaging in non-consensual sexual activity. The trial is expected to last up to 10 weeks.
Brand was released on bail and arrived in court on Wednesday before a crowd of photographers and video journalists. He said he felt “blessed.”
“Of course I’m concerned, but I’m hopeful that this process will lead to good outcomes for everyone involved,” Brand said. “This is my prayer.”
Known for his risky stand-up routines and struggles with drugs and alcohol, Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s by hosting television shows and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
He stepped away from mainstream media in recent years, moving to Florida and building a large online following with videos that mix healthy living, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious affiliation.
The Associated Press does not name alleged victims of sexual violence, and British law protects their identities from the media for life.