Crimeupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 18 December 2025Russell Brand Takes Stand at Southwark Crown Court as Laura Brand Testifies
10 Western Mainstream1 Local WesternPhoto: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Brand testified at Southwark Crown Court, facing charges: rape, sexual assault, and attempted indecent assault. Laura Brand testified, describing him as caring, kind, a wonderful father, and attentive husband.
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Trial Testimony in London
Russell Brand took the stand at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday, facing seven charges including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault, and he pleaded not guilty to all seven charges. Brand told the court that he had not had nonconsensual sex and said, "consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and in many ways more important than sex itself."
Brand’s wife, Laura Brand, later told the jury that she felt "very seen by him" and described him as "caring, kind and a wonderful father to our children" during her evidence. Laura Brand also told the court that she first met Brand at the Edinburgh festival in 2006, and she said he contacted her the next day after his performance.
Character Evidence and Objections
Ian Winter KC asked Laura Brand about the truth of the allegations, and the judge stopped the line of questioning by saying, "No, no, no... She is not an expert witness."
The judge explained that Laura Brand is a character witness and therefore cannot give her opinion on whether a crime was committed, as Sky News reported the Crown Prosecution Service definition of an expert witness.
Laura Brand testified that she and Brand split up over his promiscuity but that she believed he "absolutely" respected her wishes sexually, and she told the court, "I wasn’t interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people."
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC objected when Winter asked for Laura Brand’s view on the truth of the criminal allegations, and the jury was briefly sent out with Laura Brand and security guard Joe McCann following her out.
Consent, Cheating, and Stakes
Brand told the court that he had been promiscuous during the time period in question but insisted that consent was "absolutely non-negotiable," and he said he knows what "no" means. Brand’s wife said she was aware of his promiscuity during their time apart and told the court, "I was very aware of it."
The trial involves six female complainants whose allegations span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009, and Brand faces charges tied to those allegations. The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court, with the jury likely to retire to consider the verdicts on Tuesday, and Brand remains presumed innocent as he denies all the charges.