Russell Brand accused of being a “ruthless” sexual predator during first day of rape trial

Russell Brand appeared in Southwark Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday October 14) for the first day of trial where he’s accused of three counts of rape. The 51-year-old comedian and actor is also accused of three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, with six women alleging crimes dating from 1999 to 2009. The prosecution’s Riel Karmy-Jones KC told the court yesterday that the women “did not know each other” and “came forward independently of each other”. The BBC reports that during the first day of the trial, the jury were told the details of Brand’s alleged crimes One woman has accused him of raping her after a Labour Party conference in 1999. Brand’s former flatmate Mark Pinheiro, who was the first witness to give evidence, told jurors that Brand had told him he may have gone a “bit too far” with a woman at the event. “He said that things got a little bit heated and a little bit out of hand, and he thinks that maybe he did go a little bit too far. Those were his words – ‘I think I may have gone a bit too far’.” Brand is also accused of indecently assaulting an MTV worker and committing sexual assault while visiting Capital Radio in 2004. The jury were ...