On Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court in London, Russell Brand’s defense statements from police interviews were read to the jury, revealing that the 51-year-old told detectives his past “very promiscuous” celebrity lifestyle had been unfavourably “reframed” into allegations of rape and sexual assault.
The Bottom Line
- Brand’s police interviews, conducted across four sessions between November 2023 and July 2025, were read aloud to the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.
- The defendant faces multiple charges involving six women, including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and a newly altered charge of attempted indecent assault.
- Defense counsel Ian Winter KC told the court that Brand denies any non-consensual sexual activity, maintaining that public encounters and consensual casual hookups have been reimagined following media investigations beginning in September 2023.
Police Interviews Detail Four Sessions Across Twenty Months
The jury heard that Brand was quizzed by investigators four separate times between November 2023 and July 2025. Across each interview, the defendant relied on prepared statements rather than answering questions directly, insisting consistently that he had “never engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity.” Brand appeared in court wearing a grey suit and pale blue shirt as the transcripts were read into the record.
In his statements, Brand pointed directly to joint investigative reporting published on September 16, 2023, by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4. He characterised the resulting documentary and newspaper coverage as “defamatory and fictitious,” claiming that subsequent public appeals by both media outlets and police invited additional allegations that resulted in further encounters being invented or reimagined.
Promiscuity and Public Encounters Explained to Detectives
Detailing the lifestyle he led in the past, Brand told detectives he routinely kissed hundreds of members of the public during live shows, press events, book signings, and junkets. He described those interactions as “friendly, consensual and warm,” noting that photographic evidence of many such public kisses remains available online. He added that he routinely engaged in consensual sexual encounters in locations and scenarios often with people he had just met.
The trial also featured testimony regarding specific incidents from years past. On day six of the proceedings, the jury viewed a 2023 police interview with an alleged victim identified in court as C3, who subsequently gave witness evidence from behind a screen. C3 alleged that Brand grabbed her breasts and dragged her into the toilets of Soho’s Nordic Bar during a birthday party in July 2004 before orally raping her and later asking to swap phone numbers.
| Trial Detail | Recorded Information |
|---|---|
| Defendant Age | 51 years old |
| Police Interview Period | November 2023 to July 2025 (four sessions) |
| Current Charges | Three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted indecent assault |
| Alleged Offense Timeline | Between 1999 and 2009 involving six women |
Charges and Legal Defenses at Southwark Crown Court
The trial encompasses allegations brought by six women spanning the years 1999 to 2009. These include an accusation that Brand stripped off his clothes and raped a woman at a hotel room during the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. Additional allegations involve MTV and Channel 4 staff members detailing incidents at workplaces, bars, and post-performance venues.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, one existing allegation of indecent assault was formally altered to a charge of attempted indecent assault. Ian Winter KC, acting as Brand’s barrister, maintained to the court that his client denies all accusations of non-consensual acts. The defense argues that consensual physical contact and casual encounters from decades past have been unfavourably reframed in the wake of modern public scrutiny. The trial before the London jury continues.
Worth a look
