A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A London judge on Monday sentenced British actor-turned-religious influencer Russell Brand to 10 and a half years in prison after he was convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in the U.K. last week.
Brand, the 51-year-old former bad boy star of comedies including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to The Greek,” was convicted by a jury last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four different women.
He was also acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The criminal charges originated from his interactions with six different women in the U.K. spanning from the late 1990s to the late aughts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges leading up to the trial, which began Oct. 12 and lasted three weeks.
Brand was first publicly accused of sexual assault in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation into allegations involving several women between 2006 and 2013. More women came forward with their accusations against Brand in wake of the investigation, including a woman who alleged in a civil suit in New York that Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of his 2011 film “Arthur.”
British police first pressed charges against Brand in April 2025, accusing him of single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault involving incidents from 1999 to 2005. Prosecutors accused Brand of raping a woman in the English seaside area of Bournemouth in 1999. Officials also accused Brand of indecently assaulting a second woman in 2001, orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in 2004, and sexually assaulting a fourth woman between 2004 to 2005, incidents that allegedly occurred in Westminster, according to U.K. officials. Prosecutors tacked on two additional charges — one count of rape and another count of sexual assault — against Brand in December 2025 for incidents involving two more women in 2009.
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but acquitted of orally raping her in a restroom, the Associated Press reported. Jurors also found the actor guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. His final conviction was for sexually assaulting another woman who alleged the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin while filming an advertisement in 2009.
Shortly after the jury handed down its verdict, police confirmed it provided prosecutors with investigations into two additional rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described the comedian as ruthless, “calculating,” “manipulative” and as a “sexual predator” during the trial while Brand, ex-husband of pop star Katy Perry, denied forcing any of his accusers into sexual encounters. “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and indeed in may ways more important than sex itself,” he told jurors.
Brand also told jurors of the personal toll of the high-profile rape and sexual assault allegations, claiming friends and collaborators cut ties and that no one with relevant evidence wanted to testify on his behalf. Laura Gallacher, Brand’s wife since 2017 and mother of their three children, testified on the actor’s behalf, describing him as a devoted father.
Jurors also heard testimony from Brand’s ex-personal assistant and the actor’s former roommate, who spoke to Brand’s “insane sexual appetite” and ambitious sexual goals, respectively. The actor also acknowledged during cross-examination by Karmy-Jones, he spent part of his earlier life pursuing “beyond reckless philandering” and that he grew “comfortable” using his fame to “facilitate sexual access.” He said that “was wrong.”
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
