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 ۵۱-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 ۱۰ years from ۱۹۹۹. 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 ۲۰۲۳ and July ۲۰۲۵, when he read prepared statements in which he insisted he had “never engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity”.
“I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I have spent years openly denouncing,” he said in his first statement on ۱۶ November ۲۰۲۳.
Referencing joint reporting by Channel ۴, the Times and the Sunday Times, Brand added: “On ۱۶ September ۲۰۲۳, 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.
“Subsequently, both the media and the police publicly invited additional allegations to be made, which resulted in further encounters being invented or reimagined.”
Addressing an allegation that he had touched an MTV worker’s breasts before dragging her into a toilet and raping her in ۲۰۰۴, he said he did not recall meeting the woman.
“At no point would I have touched [her] breasts unless it was consensual,” he said. “I have had consensual sex in toilet cubicles during parties. I have never forced anyone into a toilet and I have never forced my penis into anyone’s mouth.”
In a statement on ۱۴ December ۲۰۲۳, 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.
“I have shared kisses with hundreds of members of the public during press events and photos of many such kisses, in front of hundreds of people, are available online. 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.
“I routinely made provocative jokes or comments both with members of the public and during live performances and broadcasts.”
He also went on to detail his promiscuity, saying: “I did on occasion find reasons for leaving, or for asking partners in casual sexual encounters to leave, shortly after the experience had concluded.
“I had sexual encounters in countless locations and scenarios often with people I had just met. 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 ۱۷ January ۲۰۲۴ and ۱۷ July ۲۰۲۵. 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.
The trial continues.
