Russell Brand Appears In Court As Jury Selection Begins In Rape And Sexual Assault Trial

Russell Brand has appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London as jury selection began in his trial over alleged rape and sexual offences. The 51-year-old comedian and actor denies all charges in a case involving six female complainants. The allegations are said to relate to incidents between 1999 and 2009 in London and Bournemouth.

Brand arrived at court on Monday wearing a grey suit and sunglasses, accompanied by his wife, Laura. A large media presence gathered outside as proceedings got under way.

Russell Brand trial: Jury selection begins

During the selection process, Mr Justice Bennathan addressed potential jurors and noted that Brand was a familiar public figure. “Many of you will have heard of him,” the judge said, adding that Brand had been on television “a great deal a couple of years ago”.

The judge also referred to previous media coverage of allegations against the comedian. “About three years ago there was a television programme and a long article in the Times newspaper in which some allegations were made against him of sexual misconduct. They were allegations he firmly denied.”

Potential jurors were asked to indicate whether they remembered watching the Channel 4 documentary or reading the article. Six people raised their hands. The pool was later reduced to 20, with a smaller group due to be selected and sworn in on Tuesday.

Charges against Russell Brand

Brand faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. The judge warned potential jurors against conducting their own research about the defendant.

The trial is expected to last around six weeks, although jurors were told they might need to remain available until December 11.

Russell Brand’s career

Brand rose to prominence as a stand-up comedian before hosting television shows including Big Brother’s Big Mouth and presenting radio programmes for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music. He later appeared in Hollywood films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. In recent years, he has focused on podcasting and lives in Florida.