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What the Russell Brand jury didn't hear: Katy Perry and details of his addiction were kept out of trial

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Cite

Huggett, P. (2026, November 5). What the Russell Brand jury didn't hear: Katy Perry and details of his addiction were kept out of trial. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/katy-perry-russell-brand-drug-addiction-rape-trial-b1303734.html

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Evening Standard · collected 2026-11-05 · by Poppy Huggett

Quick Summary

During Russell Brand's sexual assault trial, Katy Perry's involvement and details about Brand’s past addiction were excluded from evidence presented to the jury. Prosecutors initially planned to mention Perry but withdrew this after legal objections. The case also omitted references to Brand’s religious history and his 2024 baptism in the River Thames. Additionally, Brand’s autobiography published post-incident was not admitted as evidence, despite extracts from an earlier book being read during the trial.
Written by AI on 2026-11-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Russell Brand, a British comedian and actor, was found guilty on November 5, 2026, of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The trial at Southwark Crown Court in London lasted for several weeks, with prosecutors describing him as a "ruthless sexual predator" who assaulted six women between 2006 and 2013. Brand pleaded not guilty to all charges but was convicted of seven counts, including one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The jury heard accounts from the victims, who described encounters that took place in hotel rooms, workplaces, a toilet cubicle, and at Brand’s home address. Brand's wife cried as he was found guilty; he entered the dock saying "yes My Lord" when remanded into custody for sentencing on Monday. Details of his substance abuse and relationship with Katy Perry were excluded from the trial due to defense objections.

Written for “Russell Brand Found Guilty Of Rape” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 145 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 131965 · logged 2026-11-05

Story

📰 Russell Brand Found Guilty Of Rape
Crime & Law · 146 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 35 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 6 of 45 claims Outlet record 64/100
NBC News
Hedges 1 of 33 claims Outlet record 72/100
“While both articles discuss Russell Brand's trial for sexual offenses, Article A reports on the verdict and guilty findings, whereas Article B focuses on what was not included in the trial proceedings.”
ABC News (US)
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 67/100
“While both articles discuss Russell Brand's trial, Article A reports on the verdict and guilty findings, whereas Article B focuses on evidence excluded from the trial.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 3 of 7 claims Outlet record 69/100
“While both articles discuss Russell Brand's trial, Article A focuses on week three of the trial where Brand testified, while Article B discusses excluded evidence involving Katy Perry and other details that were not part of a specific trial week.”
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 23 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss Russell Brand's trial, Article A focuses on the verdict and potential sentencing, whereas Article B discusses details of what was not heard in the jury's consideration during the trial.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 13 of 85 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the trial; Article A focuses on the verdict and key moments, while Article B discusses evidence that was excluded from the trial.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 8 of 49 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss Russell Brand's rape trial, Article B focuses on aspects of the trial that were excluded (like Katy Perry and addiction details), whereas Article A reports on the verdict and evidence presented during the trial.”
Times of India
Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A describes the jury deliberating on Russell Brand's trial, while Article B discusses what evidence was excluded from the trial.”
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 8 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss Russell Brand's trial and conviction, Article A reports on the verdict and acquittal of charges, while Article B focuses on aspects of the trial proceedings that were excluded.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
146
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 8766 article(s) · 74 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 74 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Poppy Huggett
76 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Pre-trial submissions revealed Ms Karmy-Jones noted: “The prosecution recognise that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening.”
🔮 On the show, he said: “If he didn’t wear a mask nobody would know he was there, would they.
🔮 While Heggessey concluded future series could theoretically proceed under enhanced protocols, Dogra decided against continuation.
🔮 The annual festive music event, presented with Barclaycard, will take place on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, bringing some of the biggest names in music to the capital.
🔮 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
🔮 The Traitors – Acts Of Betrayal will be staged at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London, with previews beginning on May 11 ahead of its opening night on June 8.
🔮 Maya Jama, Myleene Klass, Lily Allen, Kim Kardashian, and of course Heidi Klum, were among those who embraced the spooky season with some particularly creative outfits.
🔮 The reality star once again proved that she was willing to go all out for the occasion.
🔮 He eventually offered Victoria a way out, agreeing to let her sell her stake in the property so she could leave Yorkshire and build a new life in Portugal with her son, Harry.
🔮 The tribute will take place at 7pm on Tuesday, November 3, with theatres across London joining together to honour the celebrated stage and screen star.
Also by Poppy Huggett
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 76 articles by Poppy Huggett →

Topics

Channel 4’s Dispatches Christianity Hindu The Sunday Times Times

Subjects

Brand PERSON · 11× Perry PERSON · 4× Channel 4’s Dispatches ORG · 1× Christianity NORP · 1× Hindu NORP · 1× India GPE · 1× Rajasthan GPE · 1× Riel Karmy-Jones KC’s PERSON · 1× The Sunday Times ORG · 1× Times ORG · 1×

Narrative

Details of Brand’s substance abuse were also kept from the jury following defence objections from Ian Winter KC, who argued there was no assertion that Brand was under the influence during the alleged encounters. Brand’s former assistant, Helen Berger, provided evidence regarding his behavior, though her statement was edited to exclude references to sex addiction treatment.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-05
🔮 Pre-trial submissions revealed Ms Karmy-Jones noted: “The prosecution recognise that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening.”

Claims (16 extracted, 1 hedged)

The allegations against Brand first came to light following a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches. asserted
allegations → come → Times
He faced seven charges involving six women, relating to alleged incidents between 2006 and 2013. asserted
He → face → 2006
Prosecutors had initially sought to refer to Perry when opening their case against Brand, but the judge ruled that evidence relating to the pop star should not be put before the jury. asserted
evidence → seek → jury
However, the Grammy-nominated singer was removed from lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC’s opening address following legal submissions by Brand’s defence team. asserted
singer → nominate → team
The prosecution also agreed not to raise Brand’s former religious practices prior to his recent conversion to Christianity. asserted
prosecution → agree → Christianity
He and Perry married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India, in 2010. asserted
He → marry → 2010
In recent years, Brand’s Christian faith has become central to his podcast and online output, and he was observed praying in the dock at points during the trial. asserted
he → become → trial
Pre-trial submissions revealed Ms Karmy-Jones noted: “The prosecution recognise that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening.” uncertain
we → reveal → opening
Reference to Brand’s 2024 baptism in the River Thames at Henley, attended by television presenter Bear Grylls, was similarly omitted. asserted
Reference → attend → Grylls
Giving evidence, Brand made reference to his brief marriage to Perry, remarking that it marked the point at which he achieved “staggering fame”. asserted
he → give → fame
The pair met on the set of the 2009 film Get Him to the Greek and married the following year, before separating in late 2011. asserted
pair → meet → 2011
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed Perry was not asked to provide a witness statement. asserted
Perry → confirm → statement
Senior Crown Prosecutor David Roberts stated: “We followed all reasonable lines of inquiry in statements that would have been relevant to the specific charges.” asserted
that → state → charges
Details of Brand’s substance abuse were also kept from the jury following defence objections from Ian Winter KC, who argued there was no assertion that Brand was under the influence during the alleged encounters. Brand’s former assistant, Helen Berger, provided evidence regarding his behavior, though her statement was edited to exclude references to sex addiction treatment. asserted
statement → keep → treatment
Extracts from Brand’s autobiography, My Booky Wook, were read to the court, while his subsequent book was excluded as it was published after the period of the allegations. asserted
it → read → allegations
Although the 2023 Dispatches documentary featured in defence arguments, jurors were selected who had not seen the broadcast, and it was not shown during the trial. asserted
it → feature → trial
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