Russell Brand arrived in court accompanied his wife Laura Gallacher and his father-in-law, Ryder Cup-winning golfer Bernard Gallacher, for the 15th day of his rape trial
Russell Brand is picturing arriving at court with his father-in-law ahead of the latest proceedings over Brand’s rape and sexual assault allegations.
The TV personality, 51 was accompanied by his wife Laura Gallacher and his father-in-law, Ryder Cup winning golfer Bernard Gallacher, as he arrived at the central London court on Monday morning.
He wore a black wool jacket over a grey suit with a long tie.
Brand is accused of trying to indecently assault an MTV worker by pulling her into a toilet in 2001, forcing himself on another MTV worker in a Soho bar toilet during a party in 2004, kissing and groping a radio worker in 2005 in a corridor, and raping a woman in a hotel room at the 1999 Labour Party conference.
Russell Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, today said there is a “curious feature” to the evidence from the complainants, adding: “They have all given evidence that Mr Brand’s behaviour was normal either during and or after the incidents.
“That, we suggest, is something that simply cannot have occurred if he is guilty.”
The barrister said the fact he behaved normally showed Brand believed they had consented. He added: “He couldn’t have been behaving normally if he knew they were not.
“He obviously genuinely believed that they were consenting because that’s the only thing that would explain why his behaviour was normal.”
The barrister added that there is “no evidence he is some sort of psychopath who rapes people and thinks it’s normal”.
The lawyer began his closing speech to jurors by reciting an 1864 quote from philosopher John Henry Newman.
Quoting it, he said: “What I insist upon here, now that I am bringing this portion of my discussion to a close, is this unmanly attempt of his, in his concluding pages, to cut the ground from under my feet…. this I call poisoning the wells.”
He said that journalists had “poisoned the well of justice” in Brand’s case by prompting the women to come forward.
Living a “highly promiscuous life is entirely lawful”, Mr Winter told jurors.
The barrister said the complainants did not make the “independent decision” to speak out.
He added: “Living a highly promiscuous life is entirely lawful however morally distasteful you may find it.”
He added: “The question for you is can you possibly be sure in this case that out of the many, many women who voluntarily had sex with Mr Brand, he raped just three of them.”
Mr Winter said the 2023 allegations against Brand had had a “truly devastating effect” on him, reminding jurors of the defendant’s recounting of being blocked from visiting his baby son when he was having open heart surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Mr Winter said: “That tells you the extent to which public opinion has been perverted and corrupted.”
Of the allegations, he said that the women “think it now”, but does not “reflect what they were actually thinking back then”.
He added: “That is the precise consequence of the poisoning of the well.”
Brand denies all the charges.
The trial continues.
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