What Russell Brand jury wasn’t told before rape conviction

Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and three sexual assaults, while being cleared of two further rape counts and one sexual assault charge. Details of what jurors were allowed to hear have now emerged: prosecutors agreed to leave out references to his former marriage to Katy Perry, his past religious interests and his addictions to alcohol and drugs.

Prosecutors had proposed mentioning Perry, whom Brand married in 2010 after they began dating in 2009; they divorced by the end of 2011, and she was not asked to provide a witness statement. The defence argued that drug and alcohol use was irrelevant because complainants did not say Brand was under the influence during their encounters. A former assistant’s evidence was edited to remove mention of treatment at a sex addiction clinic, though jurors heard other testimony about Brand’s sexual behaviour.