Defence barrister tells Southwark jury journalists 'poisoned the well' in Brand rape trial
Russell Brand's barrister Ian Winter KC told jurors a Channel 4 documentary prompted complainants to come forward years later. Brand faces seven counts including three of rape.
Brand trial: defence says media coverage corrupted the case against comedian
Journalists "poisoned the well of justice" by prompting complainants to bring criminal allegations against Russell Brand, jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told on Monday, bbc.co.uk reports.
Ian Winter KC, Brand's defence barrister, made the claim in his closing speech, arguing that a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and articles published in the Times and Sunday Times in 2023 "caused people who had not previously considered it appropriate to bring criminal allegations against him, to do so, and very many years after."
Brand faces seven counts: three of rape, three of sexual assault, and one of attempted indecent assault.
Winter told jurors that "living a highly promiscuous life is entirely lawful" and challenged them to be certain that, "out of the many, many women who voluntarily had sex with Mr Brand, that he raped just three of them."
He described it as an "extremely curious feature" of the case that Brand "obviously genuinely believed that they were consenting", adding there was "no evidence he is some sort of psychopath who rapes people and thinks it's normal."
Addressing a 1999 allegation specifically, Winter said the accused had left the complainant his actual email address and photographs. "Rapists do not give out their email address. Rapists do not leave their photographs. Rapists do not kiss their victims goodbye," he told the court.
Documentary described as 'very one-sided'
Turning to the Channel 4 programme, Winter reminded jurors that the trial judge had directed them the documentary was "very one-sided" and "produced in a dramatic manner." He said it had been "published without a single journalist ever speaking to Mr Brand about it other than to protect their defamation risk."
Winter argued that Brand is innocent of the allegations made within the programme itself, and that this prior coverage had "thoroughly contaminated" the six complainants in the case, whom he described as "not random."
He cited one "graphic" example of what he called the "truly devastating effect" of public opinion: a hospital refused to permit Brand to visit his baby son's bedside following the child's life-saving open heart surgery. Brand had previously told jurors that Great Ormond Street Hospital denied him access due to "material that had been published in the public eye."
Wife's testimony cited by defence
Winter also drew on evidence given by Brand's wife, Laura, noting she "fell in love with that man in full knowledge of what he was doing" and subsequently married him and had three children with him. He suggested she would not have done so had Brand been "guilty as charged."
Brand's lawyer acknowledged his client "had an immense amount of sex," but maintained "none of it was unlawful." He added: "Disgusting, distasteful, immoral, who cares? It's irrelevant to your consideration."
Brand arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Monday accompanied by his wife Laura and her father Bernard Gallacher, the former professional golfer and Ryder Cup winner.
The trial continues.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)