londonAP —
Russell Brand acted like a “callous” sex offender when he assaulted six women over a 10-year period, prosecutors in the rape and sexual assault case against the actor and comedian announced Wednesday.
Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges involve six women, who are suspected of committing the crimes between 1999 and 2009.
Prosecutor Rielle Carmy-Jones told jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court that the six women did not know each other and were assaulted by Mr Brand in his “hotel room, his workplace, a bar toilet stall and his home address”.
At the time, she said, Bland had a “promiscuous and voracious” appetite for sexual contact and “women were just a means to an end.”
Prosecutors said Brando was funny and charming and could be “a flirt with a huge sexual appetite, a child-like person who expected his every desire to be fulfilled.”
“He was ruthless, calculating, manipulative, and prosecutors say he was a sex offender,” Carmy Jones said.
The jury will hear from Brand’s accusers later in the trial.
Brando listened intently from the dock as prosecutors described each of the alleged incidents, including the first incident in which Brando allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room during the Labor Party’s annual conference in 1999. Brand, then an up-and-coming stand-up comedian, was performing at a cabaret on the outskirts of a conference in the English coastal town of Bournemouth.
Two years later, another woman claimed that Brando tried to drag her into the men’s restroom of the office building where she worked.
“There is little doubt as to what Mr. Bland’s intentions were,” Carmy Jones said.
A third woman alleges that Brando verbally raped her in the bathroom of a London bar in 2004, telling her to “don’t spoil it” when she asked him to stop.
Prosecutors said the other charges relate to a woman who told a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 that Brand kissed and groped her, making her feel “dirty and disgusting.” The then 21-year-old fan says Brando anally sexually assaulted her at his home after they met at one of Brando’s shows in 2009. In 2009, one woman said the brand asked for a massage and shoved his face into his crotch while filming an ad.
Carmy Jones told the jury none of the alleged victims reported the alleged assaults at the time out of guilt, shame and fear they would be blamed.
She said jurors would hear from the women later in the trial and said: “I have no doubt that I will find their evidence convincing.”
Brand denies all charges. During police questioning, he denied ever having had any nonconsensual sex.
Brands have moved from mainstream media to online audiences
Mr Brand is out on bail and appeared in court on Wednesday in front of a crowd of photographers and video journalists. He said he felt “blessed.”
“We are certainly concerned, but we are hopeful that this process will lead to a positive outcome for everyone involved,” Brand said. “That’s my prayer.”
Known for his racy stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, Brando rose to prominence in the early 2000s hosting television shows and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films such as “Forget Sarah Marshall” and “Take Me to the Greeks.”
In recent years, he has stepped away from mainstream media, relocated to Florida, and built a large online following with videos that mix discussions of health, conspiracy theories, and religious devotion.
The Associated Press does not publish the names of victims of alleged sexual assault, and British law protects their identities from the media for life.
