Russell Brand took the stand in his criminal trial on Wednesday (Oct. 28), claiming that friends have turned their backs on him since six women came forward with allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Brand agreed with his lawyer, Ian Winter, who argued that “no one will touch me with a bargepole” following the release of the 2023 documentary Russell Brand: In Plain Sight. However, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones challenged that claim, pointing out that Brand performed before an audience of 2,000 people at a London venue after the documentary was released, according to Deadline.
“You have a platform with followers in the millions, don’t you?” Karmy-Jones remarked. “This is not a case of ‘Poor Mr Brand’ who’s been taken apart by the media and the social construct.”
Brand described the allegations against him as “devastating,” claiming that he has been unable to find anyone willing to testify in his defense.
“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said, according to NBC News.
He further alleged that the accusations had come “at the expense of my marriage, my children and health.”
The comedian also claimed that he was prevented from staying with his son after undergoing open-heart surgery because of “the material published.”
While being questioned about the alleged rape of a woman in a hotel room during a Labour Party conference, Brand stated, “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary and indeed more important than sex itself.”
Brand has denied all the charges against him, which include three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
