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Russell Brand Trial: Judge Reduces One Charge to Attempted Indecent Assault as Star Says “I Led a Very Promiscuous Life”
A judge at London’s Southwark Crown Court reduced one charge against Russell Brand from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault, ruling there was insufficient evidence for the original allegation. Brand denies all charges in a trial involving six women’s claims of rape and sexual assault between 1999 and 2009; the remaining allegations will be considered by the jury.
The reduced charge concerns a woman who said Brand grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into a toilet while they worked at MTV in 2001. The court also heard a recording of Brand’s 2023 police interview, in which he described his past as “very promiscuous” but denied any non-consensual sexual activity. He argued that consensual encounters had been wrongly reframed, while prosecutors have presented allegations relating to incidents in several locations.
In short
- Judge reduced one charge against Russell Brand.
- Brand denies the remaining allegations.
- He told police he had lived promiscuously but denied non-consensual sex.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The prosecution’s case is that the remaining allegations describe serious sexual offences, and that jurors should assess the complainants’ accounts alongside the other evidence. The judge’s decision to reduce one charge reflects the need to match each allegation to what the evidence can support, while leaving the remaining claims for the jury to consider.
The case against
Brand denies non-consensual sexual activity and argues that encounters he understood to be consensual have been wrongly characterised. A charge being reduced after the judge found insufficient evidence for the original allegation may reinforce the importance of scrutinising each claim carefully, while the jury must still decide whether the remaining allegations are proved.
Explained simply
Russell Brand is a British comedian and actor who worked at MTV in the early 2000s. He is facing a criminal trial at Southwark Crown Court over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by six women, concerning events said to have taken place between 1999 and 2009.
Brand denies the charges and says his past sexual relationships were consensual. The case concerns the distinction between consensual activity and sexual conduct without consent, and the jury will consider the allegations that remain before it.