Russell Brand takes the stand in rape trial, calls, consent, 'more important than sex itself'

On Wednesday, Russell Brand spoke for himself. The comedian took the stand in the criminal trial in London as he denied all accusations against him in the ongoing rape and sexual assault trial.

Brand has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The allegations have been made by six women over incidents said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.

Russell Brand takes the stand in rape trial, says, ‘My entire life has been consumed by these allegations’

For the first time in the recent case, Brand took the stand at Southwark Crown Court in London after days of hearings in which he has been actively participating since the beginning.

When asked if he had committed the crime, the comedian gave a firm no, maintaining his innocence and saying that these allegations have consumed his entire life as he revealed that no one else agreed to testify for him during the trial.

‘’My entire life has been consumed by these allegations,” he told. “I have devoted myself to these matters.

When asked about consent of a woman, Brand said,''Consent is a fundamental, essential and necessary, and in many ways more important than sex itself.”

During the trial, he was questioned about the first complainant, a woman who alleged that she met Brand at a Labour Party conference in 1999 and invited him to her room, believing he was gay, to continue their conversation after his comedy show.

On that night, she alleged that the comedian came out topless from the bathroom before allegedly raping her.

Reacting to this, Brand said he had met the woman, stating that she was the one who suggested returning to the hotel room, as he went on to deny the accusation of rape.

Speaking further, Brand said,"consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and in many ways, more important than sex itself."

Talking about the woman, who Brand said found him “loquacious” and “interesting,” back then, has denied any truth to what she is claiming.

The cross-examination Brand asked the comedian whether he “just didn’t care whether she was interested in having sex with you or not.”

Refuting this, Brand said he cared ‘very much.’' “I know what ‘no’ means.” He also denied other allegations, except the one where he said that the sex was consensual.

During the allegations, Brand said that the media have been unfair to him, as he blamed the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary for allegations against him.

Earlier, Brand's former personal assistant told the jury that he had a, 'insane sexual appetite.’