Russell Brand: On Trial

Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report the judge’s summing-up, as the jury is sent out to deliberate in the trial of Russell Brand. Martin and Katie also answer listener questions. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault as described in court. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report the defence’s closing speech from the trial of Russell Brand. Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter KC, told the court that journalists had 'poisoned the well of justice' in the case by prompting the women to come forward, following a Channel 4 documentary and stories in the Times and Sunday Times that made allegations about Brand in 2023. He said there is 'no evidence [Brand] is some kind of psychopath who rapes people and thinks it's normal', adding: 'The fact he behaved normally during and after all of those rapes tells you what you need to know. He believed they were all consenting.' Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk .

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault as described in court. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report the prosecution’s closing speech from the trial of Russell Brand. Riel Karmy-Jones KC for the prosecution said none of the complainants has ‘sought the limelight’ or ‘any kind of publicity’. She said there is no benefit to them except perhaps some closure. While reminding jurors of the complainants’ experiences, Karmy-Jones said that ‘women as a whole were disposable’ to Brand; ‘they didn't matter, he didn't even need to know their names.’ The judge also confirmed to the group of 12 jurors - made up of eight men and four women - that he can only accept a unanimous verdict. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk .

Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report the case for the defence of Russell Brand, as his wife, Laura Brand, enters the witness box. The comedian’s wife was called as a character witness and told the court that he is an ‘amazingly attentive’ husband and that she feels ‘very seen by him’. The prosecution challenged her account that she and Brand ‘hung out lots’ between 2007 and 2015. Laura Brand said she was ‘wrong’. The court also heard from two ex-girlfriends who gave written statements. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk .

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report the case for the defence of Russell Brand, as he takes the stand for the very first time. In court, Brand denied all the charges against him. He explained that the impact of the 2023 Channel 4 documentary containing allegations was ‘devastating’ and when his lawyer asked if anyone ‘would touch him with a bargepole’, Brand said: ‘No.’ He said that ‘consent is fundamental, essential and necessary, and in many ways more important than sex itself.’ The prosecution accused Brand of 'forging' his account around evidence. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk .

This episode contains details about allegations of rape as they have been described in court Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand, as his statements to the police are revealed for the first time. "I led a very promiscuous life, which I have spent years denouncing", he told them in a 2023 written statement. In another statement in 2025, he told them that he had sexual encounters in "countless" locations and scenarios, but added that he has "never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity". The judge also today changed the indecent assault charge against Brand to attempted indecent assault, due to insufficient evidence. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk .

There's some explicit discussion of the legal definition of rape and sexual assault in this episode. Sky News' Martin Brunt reports on more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand, as more witnesses give statements. The court heard a read statement from Helen Berger, Russell Brand's former PA, who described what she calls Brand's "insane sexual appetite" and said he was "sleeping with people day and night". She said she had never witnessed him doing anything against the law. Katie is away so Martin is joined by Wendy Joseph, a former judge at the Old Bailey, to talk about how courts deal with rape trials. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk .

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand, as the family and friends of a woman who accuses him of rape in 2009 give evidence. The woman claims she was anally raped by the comedian at his home. Her friends, family and colleagues have given their accounts of what she’d told them - including that she’d been "humiliated, scared, violated and in pain" after the alleged rape. The defence cross-examined witnesses including the ex-boyfriend of the accuser, who they claimed had given conflicting statements to the police and the court. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the case against Russell Brand as a third woman who has accused him of rape continues giving evidence and is cross-examined. The woman alleges she had consensual vaginal sex with Russell Brand at his home, before he anally raped her. She said, ‘I felt completely degraded and like I'd been treated like an animal, like a piece of meat’. During cross-examination Ian Winter KC, for the defence, brought up conflicting accounts in her story as she shared it over the years. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand as a third woman accuses him of rape and two more women allege he sexually assaulted them. One woman claims she was anally raped by the comedian at his home. She said that when she asked him to stop, he continued and she said she was in pain and couldn't speak or breathe. The court also heard from two more women who allege that Brand sexually assaulted them, both in their workplaces. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast ontrial@sky.uk.

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault. Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more from the prosecution case against Russell Brand as a second woman accuses him of rape. She alleged that within a minute of meeting her in 2004, Russell Brand grabbed her breasts, then dragged her into a Soho bar toilet and orally raped her, afterwards saying “I guess we should swap numbers now”. Brand’s defence barrister questioned why she did not report the allegation until 2023. The woman said she was afraid she would not be believed. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast ontrial@sky.uk

Today, a second alleged victim took the stand in Russell Brand’s trial. She told the court Brand grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into a toilet, but she pulled away saying “are you mad?”. He allegedly turned from being “jovial” to a “wild eyed maniac”. Sky News’ Katie Spencer and Martin Brunt were in court for heated exchanges as Brand’s defence barrister challenged the woman. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk

WARNING: This episode contains graphic details of alleged rape and sexual assault as described in court. “I'm reporting that Russell Brand did rape me”- those were the words the jury heard in a video played in Southwark Crown Court today. They came from Russell Brand’s first accuser in a police interview in 2023 when she claimed she was raped by him in a hotel room in 1999. Sky News’ Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer take you through the allegations and the cross examination of the woman by Brand’s barrister. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk

WARNING: This episode contains graphic details of alleged rape and sexual assault as described in court. Follow the feed to get every episode from Sky News' Katie Spencer and Martin Brunt. Today, the prosecution set out its case against Russell Brand calling him “ruthless, calculated and manipulative…a sexual predator”. We heard from a former flatmate of Brand’s - the first witness for the prosecution - who told the court Brand said he “may have gone a bit too far” with a woman. The day started with Brand responding to Katie outside court saying he was “concerned but hopeful that this process will lead to good outcomes for everybody involved”. Then, inside courtroom 3 of Southwark Crown Court in London, the prosecution outlined the allegations against him in detail. The prosecution say these allegations are from six women who “never met each other” and came forward "independently". Katie and Martin were at court as lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC described Brand as a man with a “childlike” expectation that his “voracious desires should be met”. Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk

What happened on Russell Brand’s first day in court as the trial process got underway? Sky News’ Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer take us through the day- inside and outside the court. It starts with queues of journalists arriving early to get a seat on the press benches of court 3 at Southwark Crown Court. Outside photographers gather to get images of Russell Brand as he walks in with his wife. No cameras or recording are allowed inside so Katie Spencer - arts and entertainment correspondent for Sky and crime commentator Martin Brunt - are your eyes and ears in court. The first development: selecting the jury, the people who will decide if Russell Brand is guilty, or not guilty. He faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all charges and the trial continues. Follow the feed to get every episode. Email the podcast: ontrial@sky.uk

As Russell Brand goes on trial, Sky News brings together two award winning journalists to cover the case. Together this pair has more than 30 years experience reporting on the most high profile criminal cases. Sky News’ crime commentator Martin Brunt and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer will be at Southwark Crown Court to hear the prosecution case, witness testimonies and Brand’s defence. He faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and denies the allegations against him. Our eyes and ears in court, Martin and Katie will guide us through the maze of the justice system and this case with clarity and insight. New episodes from October 12th.

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