The Russell Brand rape trial has concluded and the jury has begun deliberating a verdict.
After more than three weeks of testimony, the jury will now determine whether to convict or acquit Brand of seven counts: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. The latter was reduced to indecent assault during the trial. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
No verdict will be returned on Tuesday after Judge Bennathan sent the jury home at 4 p.m. local time. He asked jurors to “resist talking about the case” until they were all reconvened Wednesday morning.
The judge spent much of the day summarizing the evidence for the jury, going over each charge in detail. This followed closing arguments from the prosecution and defense.
In legal guidance last week, the judge told the jury he was under no pressure to reach a quick verdict. “No jury can be criticized for taking too little or too long in its deliberations, only you must decide that,” he told them.
Bennathan said the jury must reach unanimous verdicts on each of the charges to convict Brand.
He reminded jurors last week that the burden of proof is on the prosecution and that Brand is entitled to the benefit of the doubt.
In legal instructions to the jury last week, Bennathan also asked the jury to disregard the 2023 Channel 4 documentary which contained allegations about Brand when making its decision. “Don’t think that a few women filing anonymous complaints on a TV show provide any support for the prosecution,” he said at the time. “The accused has denied the allegations (in the documentary) in strong and detailed terms. They have never been tested in any court of law.”
The prosecution and defense discussed the documentary at length during their closing arguments.
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