In her closing speech, she told jurors at Southwark Crown Court the women had not been compelled to come forward by a “magic force” of media reporting on Brand’s alleged misconduct, but had instead been seeking “closure” by speaking to police.
asserted
women → tell → police
They had all described a similar pattern of behaviour from Brand that started with compliments, flattery and flirting before a “personality change”, Ms Karmy-Jones said.
asserted
Jones → describe → change
She said: “His eyes changed, he snapped, from charming to frightening to nasty.”
asserted
he → say → nasty
Ms Karmy-Jones said the women had claimed Brand “didn’t listen when (they) said no, he didn’t stop, he didn’t care, pulling, pushing, tugging, thrusting”.
asserted
he → say → ?
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“In the rape cases, he kept on going until he achieved his ultimate aim.”
asserted
he → read → aim
The prosecutor also pointed jurors to several accounts by the women of Brand giving them his phone number or email address in the aftermath of the alleged attacks.
asserted
Brand → point → attacks
“Today it’s something that might be known as gaslighting,” she said.
“A technique the defendant used to good effect.”
uncertain
defendant → ’ → effect
Brand denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
asserted
Brand → deny → assault
Ms Karmy-Jones told jurors: “In this trial you have seen six different women, wholly unconnected with each other, come before you and tell you what happened to them at the hands of Russell Brand.
asserted
what → tell → Brand
“These women who finally made their decision to speak, call police, are wholly independent of each other.
asserted
who → make → other
They don’t even know who the other women in this case are.”
asserted
women → know → case
She said they had given “vivid” accounts of the alleged offences, and told the jury: “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.
uncertain
who → say → 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.”
asserted
what → be → them
Part of Brand’s defence is that he has faced the criminal allegations after being wrongly accused by other women in the media, in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and Sunday Times reporting, in 2023.
asserted
he → face → 2023
Ms Karmy-Jones suggested there was no “woo woo” or “magic force” from the media reports that had sparked the women to come forward.
uncertain
that → suggest → women
Turning to a woman who says she was raped in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference by Brand, Ms Karmy-Jones asked the jury to carefully assess her evidence.
She said: “Is that woman some sort of lunatic who would make this story up, reimagine this event after watching a documentary?”
asserted
who → turn → documentary
The prosecutor added that the woman said in her evidence that she had not even watched the full Dispatches documentary.
asserted
she → add → documentary
An MTV worker has accused Brand of trying to drag her into a toilet at work in 2001 when he was one of the channel’s star presenters, but she said she managed to wrench herself away.
asserted
she → accuse → herself
She gave evidence that the incident lasted for 20 seconds, and the prosecutor pulled out a stopwatch during her speech to show jurors how long the incident had lasted.
asserted
incident → give → jurors
The court fell silent for 20 seconds, as the prosecutor told jurors to “take a moment” and imagine how long the woman said she was “being pulled into a lavatory”.
asserted
she → fall → lavatory
At the end, she said: “Pulling, not just a gentle grab of the arm and a ‘come in’.
asserted
she → say → arm
Brand is accused of groping another MTV worker’s breasts in a Soho bar in 2004, then forcing the woman into oral sex after dragging her to a toilet.
asserted
Brand → accuse → toilet
He is accused of kissing and groping a radio worker in 2005 in front of members of his entourage, and sexually assaulting a Channel 4 staffer in 2009 by thrusting his head into her lap when the comedian’s aides had forced her to give him a massage.
asserted
aides → accuse → massage
Brand is also accused of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009 after meeting her at one of his Hammersmith Apollo stand-up performances.
asserted
Brand → accuse → performances
Brand gave evidence on Wednesday, saying consent is “more important than sex itself” and denying forcing any of the women into sexual activity.
asserted
consent → give → activity
He told the court it was “devastating” when he was first accused of rape and sexual misconduct in 2023 media reporting by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches.
asserted
he → tell → Times
Under questioning, Brand conceded he blames the media “in some ways” for the criminal charges he now faces.
asserted
he → concede → charges
The trial continues.
asserted
trial → continue → ?
The Aporia
