The jury has begun considering its verdicts in the rape and sexual assault trial of Russell Brand at Southwark Crown Court in London. The 51-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges, and the judge has told the eight men and four women on the jury that any verdict must be unanimous.

Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. The allegations come from six women and relate to incidents said to have taken place between 1999 and 2009. Brand told the court that although he had been “obsessed” with sex in the past, his sexual encounters were consensual. He denied committing any criminal acts.

Prosecutors said the women described Brand as someone who did not listen when they said no. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC told the jury the complainants said his behaviour could shift from charming to frightening and nasty, and that their experiences had affected them for years. The defence argued that Brand had a great deal of sex but that none of it was unlawful. His barrister also said the women did not report the alleged incidents to police at the time and argued that a 2023 media investigation had influenced later reports.

The alleged incidents include a woman’s claim that Brand raped her after they met at a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999. He denied the allegation. Another woman said he grabbed her at a London bar in 2004 and forced her into a toilet, where he orally raped her. Brand acknowledged going into the toilet with her but denied dragging or forcing her, or forcing her to perform oral sex.

A third complainant said she had consensual sex with Brand and another fan in his dressing room at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009, but later did not consent to anal sex at his home. Brand said their sex was consensual and denied rape. The remaining allegations include claims that he pinned and groped one woman, put his head in another woman’s lap while she was giving him a massage, and tried to drag a complainant into a toilet. He denies those charges as well.

Brand’s wife, Laura, gave evidence for the defence, describing him as caring, kind and a wonderful father. During the trial, Brand also acknowledged using his fame to facilitate sexual access, which he said he now believed was wrong, while maintaining that he had not committed a crime.

Sources: BBC News UK.