accusers have ‘nothing to gain’ and were not led by media, court told

Russell Brand trial: accusers have ‘nothing to gain’ and were not led by media, court told

In closing speech, prosecutor says six women had ‘bravely’ come forward after realising they were not alone

Six women who have been “haunted” by their encounters with Russell Brand came forward to give evidence against him with nothing to gain and no appetite for fame, a court has heard.

The prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, said the women, who do not know one another, had not been compelled to make police complaints by the “magic force” of media reporting on Brand’s alleged misconduct.

In her closing speech, she told jurors at Southwark crown court that the women had “vivid recollections” and had “bravely” come forward to the tell “the truth” after realising they were not alone.

Brand, 51, is accused of seven offences, including rape and sexual assault, against six women in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999. He denies all the charges.

Karmy-Jones denied that a 2023 Dispatches documentary about Brand had had “such a subliminal hold on the minds of six perfectly rational women” to make them “invent, reimagine, recharacterise, recast” their encounters with the comedian.

She said the complainants had described a similar pattern of behaviour, saying: “Six women who have nothing to gain, who have not sought the limelight, who have not looked out for some form of publicity, who have not taken part in a documentary, not made claims for compensation.

“There is no benefit to them, apart from perhaps some closure by coming before you and telling you their accounts of what happened to them so long ago.”

She said the women described how Brand’s “demeanour changed” before he assaulted them. “Listen to their accounts,” the prosecutor told the jury. “Many said he was nice and then it was like there was a personality change. A pivot. His eyes changed, he snapped from charming to frightening and nasty.

“He didn’t listen when they said no, he didn’t stop, he didn’t care, he kept pulling, pushing, tugging, thrusting. In the rape cases, he kept on going until he achieved his ultimate aim.”

She said the women had given the court “specific details” about Brand’s conduct. “What’s happened, we suggest, is these women have realised they’re not alone and they’ve bravely come before you to tell you the truth. The truth of what happened to them so many years ago.

“The truth they have lived with, which in some cases has haunted them for years,” she said.

The prosecutor also accused Brand of using “gaslighting” to “good effect” by asking some of his accusers for their telephone numbers or emails after the alleged assaults.

She said women were a “disposable commodity” to Brand and later added: “He was a defendant who was rampant in his desire to have sexual contact whenever her wished, whenever he pleased.”

Karmy-Jones described the account of the youngest witness, a fan then in her early 20s who accused the TV personality of anally raping her at his London townhouse after meeting her at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009.

He cared only about his “birthright orgasm” and ignored her pleas for him to stop, the prosecutor said, adding that she was “just another number to add to his 5,000 notches which he was marking up”.

The court heard Brand had a “flavour of disdain” towards the allegations, which the prosecution suggested was “a reflection” of his “whole approach to the female species at that time”.

“Women as a whole were disposable, they didn’t matter to him. He didn’t even need to know their names. They were just a means to an end.

“As he said in a 2017 interview, they were the amusements in what he described as his playground of orgasms,” Karmy-Jones continued.

Earlier on Friday the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, gave legal directions to the jury in which he pointed out that they would have “rival arguments” to consider.

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. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

His barrister, Ian Winter KC, is due to deliver his closing speech on Monday.

The trial continues.

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Source: www.theguardian.com