Russell Brand told police he had led a “very promiscuous” life and consensual sexual encounters had been “unfavourably reframed decades later”, his trial has heard. The 51-year-old comedian blamed the allegations on “defamatory and fictitious” media reports. He said in a statement that he had had sexual encounters in countless locations and scenarios and kissed hundreds of people in public while trying to be “friendly, consensual and warm”.
Brand is accused of seven offences against six women in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999. He denies all the charges. Wearing a grey suit and pale blue shirt, he sat in the dock on Tuesday as his statements to police were read to Southwark crown court in London.
The jury was told Brand was interviewed four times between November 2023 and July 2025, when he read prepared statements in which he insisted he had “never engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity”. Referencing joint reporting by Channel 4, the Times and the Sunday Times, Brand added: “On 16 September 2023, a defamatory and fictitious documentary was broadcast in conjunction with the publication of two national newspapers containing false, anonymised allegations which led to unprecedented media reporting. I have never forced anyone into a toilet and I have never forced my penis into anyone’s mouth.” In a statement on 14 December 2023, Brand said he did not remember the women who had come forward to accuse him.
But he added: “It is entirely possible that I may have encountered them and that we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact that has since been reimagined.” Brand described aspects of his past celebrity lifestyle, saying: “My engagement with interested members of the public was friendly, consensual and warm. There was often physical contact. At live shows, press events, junkets and book signings I did my best to be accessible, non-discriminatory and loving.
I spent a lot of time at these events. Everything I did in public once I was famous could be photographed or recorded and end up in the tabloids – I was aware of this. The way of life that I have described, the magnitude of the promiscuity, deceptively rendered in recent media attacks, accompanied by advertisements for complainants, have caused consensual encounters to be unfavourably reframed decades later.” Brand gave similar statements to police in his subsequent interviews on 17 January 2024 and 17 July 2025.
In response to police questions after each statement, Brand said: “I have nothing further to add at this time.” Brand is accused of three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. On Tuesday, an allegation of indecent assault was changed to a charge of attempted indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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