Russell Brand Trial Hears Closing Arguments: Prosecution Says He Treated Consent as an Obstacle to Remove or Ignore
The rape and sexual assault trial of British comedian Russell Brand entered closing arguments on October 30 at Southwark Crown Court in London. According to The Hollywood Reporter and court reporting, the prosecution told jurors in its closing speech that Brand treated consent as "an obstacle to remove or ignore."
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC said in closing that sex was "more than just a hobby" for Brand. Referring to evidence from his former personal assistant Helen Berger, who said Brand was "always in his underwear" and described his sexual appetite, she added: "It didn't matter who the women were, their personalities, interests... so long as they had a vagina and a heartbeat, he could get what he wanted." The prosecution suggested this demonstrated a disregard for professional boundaries.
For the defence, barrister Polly Dyer concluded the defence case by telling jurors that Brand pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis in 1995 and received a fine, and has no other convictions, cautions, reprimands, or warnings. Mr Justice Bennathan then instructed the jury on the law, setting out the route to verdicts on each charge, reminding jurors not to assume delayed complaints make an allegation untrue, and directing them to take Brand's effective good character into account.
Brand, 51, denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault, involving six women and allegations dating from 1999 to 2009. Giving evidence earlier, he told jurors that consent was "fundamental, essential, necessary and, indeed, more important than sex itself," while accepting that he had been obsessed with sex in his younger years and had misused his fame for consensual, reckless philandering.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伦敦 Southwark 刑事法庭。Jorge Franganillo 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Southwark Crown Court in London. Photo by Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-10-30Russell Brand Trial Hears Closing Arguments: Prosecution Says He Treated Consent as an Obstacle to Remove or IgnoreThis story
