Russell Brand verdict deliberations have begun at Southwark Crown Court in London. The 51-year-old faces seven counts in all, and the jury now has to reach a unanimous decision on each one.
Brand was on trial for three weeks over three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. The charges relate to allegations from six women spanning a decade between 1999 and 2009, which gives the jury a mixed set of allegations to sort through rather than one single incident.
Southwark Crown Court in London
Mr Justice Bennathan told the jury of eight men and four women that he can only accept a verdict they all agree on. That puts the panel in the hardest position left in the case: even a split view does not produce a result, so discussion has to continue until every juror lands on the same answer.
Brand gave evidence that he had been "obsessed" with sex in the past but insisted it was always consensual. He also admitted using his fame to "facilitate sexual access" but said that was wrong, while denying ever doing anything criminal.
Riel Karmy-Jones KC
One woman said he raped her after they met at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999. Another claimed he grabbed her breasts at a bar in London in 2004 before dragging her into a toilet, where he allegedly orally raped her. Brand answered "No" when asked in court whether there was any truth in the rape allegation, and he said he remembered going into the toilet with the woman but did not drag or force her there or force her to perform oral sex.
Riel Karmy-Jones KC told the jury that the women said Brand's personality changed "from charming to frightening to nasty" during the alleged attacks, and that they had been "haunted for years" by their experiences. The prosecution also said the complainants described him as someone who "didn't listen" when they said no and "didn't care". That is the fault line now: the jury has to weigh his account of consent against the women’s account of a man who ignored refusal and kept going.
Jury of twelve
With deliberations under way, the only practical outcome readers need to watch is whether the twelve jurors can settle the counts together or whether the court has to give them further direction. For Brand, this is the point where weeks of evidence stop being argument and become a verdict problem.
