LONDON - British comedian and actor Russell Brand told his rape trial on Wednesday he believed consent was "fundamental" to sexual relations, as he gave evidence for the first time.
Brand, who shot to fame in the 2000s as a television and radio presenter with progressive political views, has reinvented himself as a conservative and faith-based guru for millions of social media followers.
The 51-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faces, saying "no" loudly when asked by his lawyer if he had committed the three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault.
The jury trial at Southwark Crown Court in London opened two weeks ago and has heard allegations from six women covering a period between 1999 and 2009, when the prosecution described Brand as a "sexual predator".
The maximum sentence for rape in Britain is life in prison.
Brand, who became a household name as a presenter on MTV, Channel 4 and the BBC, told the court his entire life has been "consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations".
The women came forward after a 2023 documentary making separate allegations against Brand, which he described as "devastating".
He told the court that due to the documentary he had not persuaded anyone to give evidence on his behalf.
Brand, who was accompanied to court on Wednesday by his wife, agreed that at the time of the alleged offences he was "extremely promiscuous" and often had sex in toilets with people he had just met.
"Certainly as I became more and more successful and famous I was very comfortable allowing that to facilitate sexual access, which is, I would agree with you, wrong," he told the prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones.
He said by 2004 he was "moderately well known" but by 2009 he was "very famous".
Late that year he began dating pop star Katy Perry, to whom he was briefly married, resulting in "staggering fame", he said.
He made a foray into Hollywood, starring in several hit films.
Now remarried with children and living in Florida, he has gained a new following as a social media influencer with millions of subscribers.
At times Brand paused for a long time before answering questions and spoke quietly, at times using long flowery phrases.
While he earlier told police he did not remember any of the women, he said Wednesday he had "escalating recollection" and recalled some details.
- 'Disgusting behaviour' -
He recalled meeting the first complainant, who accused him of raping her in 1999 after a cabaret show in the southern city of Bournemouth during the Labour Party Conference.
He said he found the woman attractive and "hoped and thought there was at least a possibility of sex".
He insisted she consented to sex.
"Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary and indeed in many ways more important than sex itself," he said.
He said he had used a condom, because "that was the way people had sex in 1999".
He denied grabbing the breast of another woman in a bar in 2004, saying this was "obviously disgusting behaviour".
That woman accused him of then orally raping her in a toilet.
Brand said they did go into a cubicle, where "it's possible I would have taken my penis out of my trousers" but there was "no contact between her mouth and my penis".
Brand said he remembered having anal sex with a 21-year-old woman who claimed he raped her in 2009, but said this was consensual.
He denied asking her to clear up a "mess" afterwards or knowing she was in pain, while saying: "it would be difficult to deny that anal sex involves blood".
The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict next week, the judge said.
By Anna Malpas
- Article by AFP