A jury has been sworn in for the trial of Russell Brand on charges of rape and sexual assault which span 10 years of his showbiz career.
Brand (51) is accused of groping women and forcing them into sexual acts, in allegations which date from 1999 to 2009.
On Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court, judge Joel Bennathan oversaw the selection of a jury.
Jurors have been sent away until Wednesday morning when prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones is expected to set out the full details of the allegations against Brand.
RM Block
Eight men and four women have been chosen at random as jurors, with one reserve selected to sit through the prosecution opening.
They were all warned by the judge on Monday to ignore past reporting about Brand and the allegations of sexual misconduct he has faced in recent years.
“Don’t carry out any research”, judge Bennathan told them on Tuesday.
“Heaven knows what’s out there.
“If you want to, you could go and have a look – but only once you have returned your verdicts.”
As he arrived at Southwark Crown Court at just after 9.20am on Tuesday, Brand said “blessed, thank you very much” in the direction of photographers and members of the press.
Flanked by his security guard, Brand looked at the cameras pointed at him before taking off his sunglasses as he walked up the steps towards the central London courthouse.
His wife Laura Gallacher, who was by his side for Monday’s hearing, did not accompany Brand to court on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, the judge started with 50 prospective jurors, before swiftly excusing six who said they had either seen a Channel 4 documentary or read a newspaper article in 2023 concerning allegations about Brand, which he denies.
In the second stage of the selection process, 20 possible jurors were selected and sent away for the night to check that they are free to sit on a trial that is expected to last six weeks, but could stretch to nine weeks.
Brand denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, made by six women. – PA
