Russell Brand Trial: Jury Begins Verdict Deliberations

Russell Brand‘s rape trial has concluded and the jury has begun deliberations on a verdict.

After more than three weeks of evidence, the jury will now consider whether to convict or acquit Brand of seven charges: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault. The latter was reduced from indecent assault during the trial. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Judge Mr Justice Bennathan spent much of the day summarizing the evidence for the jury, going through each charge in detail. This followed closing arguments from the prosecution and defense.

In legal directions last week, the judge told the jury that they are not under pressure to reach a swift verdict. “No jury can be criticized for taking too little or too much time in their deliberations, you alone must decide on that,” he told them.

Bennathan said the jury must reach unanimous verdicts on each of the charges to convict Brand.

He reminded jurors last week that the burden of proof is on the prosecution and that Brand is entitled to the benefit of the doubt.

In legal directions to the jury last week, Bennathan also told the jury to disregard the 2023 Channel 4 documentary that carried allegations about Brand when coming to their decision. “Do not think that a few women making anonymous complaints in a TV show adds any support at all to the prosecution,” he said at the time. “The defendant denied the allegations [in the documentary] in robust, detailed terms. They were never tested in any court.”

Both the prosecution and defense discussed the documentary at length during their closing arguments.