In short:
The prosecution has continued to lay out its case in Russell Brand's rape trial.
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prosecution → continue → trial
In London on Thursday, the court heard evidence from one of the entertainer's six accusers.
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court → hear → accusers
What's next:
The trial is expected to last for at least six weeks.
English entertainer Russell Brand asked a woman to take photos of him "prancing" in "horrible budgie smugglers", shortly before he raped her, a London court has heard.
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court → expect → her
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.
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readers → contain → details
Brand, 51, is standing trial in Southwark Crown Court accused of several sexual offences relating to six women over a 10-year period from 1999.
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Brand → stand → 1999
He has been charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
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He → charge → assault
He pleaded not guilty to all.
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He → plead → all
The trial began this week and on Thursday, local time, the court heard evidence from a woman given the pseudonym Ms A, who claims Brand raped her at a political conference in 1999.
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Brand → begin → 1999
Pictures she took of Brand in her hotel room on the night the actor and comedian's alleged assault were shown to the jury.
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she → take → jury
Ms A told the court she had met Brand, who was performing but not yet famous, on the sidelines of the Labour Party's conference in Bournemouth.
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who → tell → Bournemouth
She told the court they got talking about politics and discussed the potential to collaborate on a creative project.
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they → tell → project
Ms A told the court she invited him to continue speaking in her hotel room and did not initially fear for her safety because she thought Brand was gay.
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Brand → tell → safety
"I blame myself for inviting him back to my room … that was my office.
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that → blame → room
That was my workspace," she told the court, through tears.
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she → tell → tears
"He violated that space."
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He → violate → space
Brand was aged 24 at the time of the alleged assault, and is now 51
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Brand → age → assault
The court was on Thursday played video of an interview police conducted with Ms A in September 2023 in which she outlined her accusations.
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she → play → accusations
In the video, Ms A told a detective when she and Brand arrived at her hotel room, she suggested he make a cup of tea while she went to the bathroom.
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she → tell → bathroom
She told the detective that when she emerged, Brand had undressed and was in his underwear.
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Brand → tell → underwear
"He was prancing around, I remember him prancing around being silly and asking me to take pictures of him," Ms A told the detective.
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A → prance → detective
In the video played to the court Ms A told the detective Brand was "jumping up and down and being silly like an ostrich kicking his legs up".
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Brand → play → legs
She said he then pushed her on to the bed and raped her, which she described in detail.
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she → say → detail
Later in the day, some of the pictures Ms A said Brand asked her to take were shown to the jury.
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Brand → say → jury
Brand's barrister Ian Winter KC challenged Ms A's memory of the alleged assault during his cross-examination.
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barrister → challenge → examination
"You fell under his spell," he said to Ms A.
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he → fall → spell
He is very charismatic ... you wanted to spend more time with him."
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you → want → him
Ms A replied that was "incorrect".
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that → reply → ?
"I thought he was a gay man, somebody who was intellectual and somebody who was friendly," she said.
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she → think → ?
Ms A told the court she had no idea why Brand had asked her to take photos of him wearing his "horrible budgie smugglers".
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Brand → tell → smugglers
In the video played to the court, Ms A wiped away tears as she described how she felt "guilty" and "dirty" after the alleged assault, but that Brand had acted like "nothing was wrong".
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nothing → play → assault
She also said she did not tell police about the alleged assault until 2023 because she did not think she would be believed, but decided to after she saw a documentary airing allegations of misconduct about Brand.
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she → say → Brand
The trial continues.
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trial → continue → ?
The Aporia
