Six women who have been “haunted” by their encounters with Russell Brand came forward to give evidence against him with nothing to gain and no appetite for fame, a court has heard.
asserted
court → haunt → fame
The prosecutor, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, said the women, who do not know one another, had not been compelled to make police complaints by the “magic force” of media reporting on Brand’s alleged misconduct.
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who → say → misconduct
In her closing speech, she told jurors at Southwark crown court that the women had “vivid recollections” and had “bravely” come forward to the tell “the truth” after realising they were not alone.
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they → close → truth
Brand, 51, is accused of seven offences, including rape and sexual assault, against six women in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999.
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Brand → accuse → 1999
He denies all the charges.
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He → deny → charges
Karmy-Jones denied that a 2023 Dispatches documentary about Brand had had “such a subliminal hold on the minds of six perfectly rational women” to make them “invent, reimagine, recharacterise, recast” their encounters with the comedian.
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them → deny → comedian
She said the complainants had described a similar pattern of behaviour, saying: “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.
“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.”
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what → say → them
She said the women described how Brand’s “demeanour changed” before he assaulted them.
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he → say → them
“Listen to their accounts,” the prosecutor told the jury.
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prosecutor → listen → jury
“Many said he was nice and then it was like there was a personality change.
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it → say → ?
His eyes changed, he snapped from charming to frightening and nasty.
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he → change → frightening
“He didn’t listen when they said no, he didn’t stop, he didn’t care, he kept pulling, pushing, tugging, thrusting.
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he → listen → ?
In the rape cases, he kept on going until he achieved his ultimate aim.”
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he → keep → aim
She said the women had given the court “specific details” about Brand’s conduct.
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women → say → conduct
“What’s happened, we suggest, is these women have realised they’re not alone and they’ve bravely come before you to tell you the truth.
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they → happen → truth
The truth of what happened to them so many years ago.
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what → happen → them
“The truth they have lived with, which in some cases has haunted them for years,” she said.
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she → live → years
The prosecutor also accused Brand of using “gaslighting” to “good effect” by asking some of his accusers for their telephone numbers or emails after the alleged assaults.
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prosecutor → accuse → assaults
She said women were a “disposable commodity” to Brand and later added: “He was a defendant who was rampant in his desire to have sexual contact whenever her wished, whenever he pleased.”
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he → say → contact
Karmy-Jones described the account of the youngest witness, a fan then in her early 20s who accused the TV personality of anally raping her at his London townhouse after meeting her at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009.
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who → describe → 2009
He cared only about his “birthright orgasm” and ignored her pleas for him to stop, the prosecutor said, adding that she was “just another number to add to his 5,000 notches which he was marking up”.
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he → care → which
The court heard Brand had a “flavour of disdain” towards the allegations, which the prosecution suggested was “a reflection” of his “whole approach to the female species at that time”.
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prosecution → hear → time
“Women as a whole were disposable, they didn’t matter to him.
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they → matter → him
He didn’t even need to know their names.
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He → need → names
“As he said in a 2017 interview, they were the amusements in what he described as his playground of orgasms,” Karmy-Jones continued.
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Jones → say → orgasms
Earlier on Friday the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, gave legal directions to the jury in which he pointed out that they would have “rival arguments” to consider.
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they → give → arguments
Brand is accused of three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
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Brand → accuse → assault
On Tuesday, an allegation of indecent assault was changed to a charge of attempted indecent assault.
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allegation → change → assault
Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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Brand → plead → charges
His barrister, Ian Winter KC, is due to deliver his closing speech on Monday.
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barrister → deliver → Monday
The trial continues.
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trial → continue → ?
The Aporia
