Russell Brand's sexual assault trial begins; comedian appears in London court with wife Laura Gallacher

The proceedings for Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault trial has begun, and the British comedian and actor appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday. The hearing began with the selection of potential jurors, and the prosecution is reportedly expected to present its opening arguments later this week.

The 51-year-old comedian was seen at the London court accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher, and security personnel. He wore a grey suit, a white shirt and sunglasses, and was later seen leaving the premises holding his wife's hand.

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According to reports, the proceedings were adjourned until October 13, when Judge Joel Bennathan is expected to finalise the jury and swear in 14 members to hear the case.

What's the case?

Brand has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges are regarding the allegations made by six women over incidents said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009 in locations including London and Bournemouth.

The allegations first came to light in September 2023. Brand has repeatedly denied sex without consent.

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In 2023, he took to social media to respond to the allegations. "These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. As I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous. Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual," he said in a video statement.

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“I was always transparent about that then – almost too transparent – and I'm being transparent about it now as well. And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question: Is there another agenda at play? It feels to me like there's a serious and concerted agenda to control these kinds of spaces and these kinds of voices.”

About Russell Brand's career

Brand is a renowned stand-up comedian and television presenter who became widely popular for hosting Big Brother's Big Mouth. He later expanded his career into radio and Hollywood, and appeared in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.

In recent years, he has built an audience through YouTube videos and podcasts covering topics including wellness, politics and religion.