Russell Brand 'saw women as disposable... he didn't even know his victims' names', court hears

By and SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER and OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:04 EDT, 30 October 2026 | Updated: 21:14 EDT, 30 October 2026 Russell Brand was painted as a nasty predator for whom sex was 'more than just a hobby' in a powerful speech to the jury at his trial for rape and sexual assault yesterday.The comedian, 51, faces allegations that he attacked six women in a hotel room, at his luxury London home, in their workplaces, and in a Soho bar toilet.In her closing address, prosecuting barrister Riel Karmy-Jones KC told Southwark Crown Court that he liked to exercise 'control' as he pursued his goal of sleeping with 5,000 women.Summarising the evidence in the two-week trial, she created a vivid picture of Brand's alleged attitude, saying: 'Women as a whole were disposable. 'He didn't even need to know their names. They were just a means to an end.' Ms Karmy-Jones pointed jurors to his 2007 book, My Booky Wook, where he discussed his 'birthright to orgasm', and a 2017 interview when he referred to women as 'amusements' in a 'playground of orgasms'.She highlighted evidence from the entertainer's former personal assistant, Helen Berger, who said Brand was 'always in his underwear', and added: 'We suggest this demonstrates a disregard for professional boundaries.'Ms Karmy-Jones told jurors: 'We suggest you will be satisfied so you are sure that the six complainants told you the truth, not an invented truth, not a reimagined truth, but the real truth of what happened to them. Russell Brand (right) leaves Southwark Crown Court, London, with his wife Laura Gallacher (left), where he faces three charges of rape, indecent assault, and three counts of sexual assault, relating to six women. Picture date: Friday October 30 Brand was painted by the prosecution as a predator for whom sex was 'more than just a hobby' in a speech to the jury at his trial for rape and sexual assault yesterday. He is pictured leaving court with his wife Laura on October 19 British comedian and actor Russell Brand leaves Southwark Crown Court in south London on October 30, 2026'We invite you to find him guilty on all counts.' Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one allegation of attempted indecent assault. He denies all the charges.One of his accusers, who was 21 at the time, told the court that she willingly had a threesome with him backstage in 2009, then went to his Hampstead home a few days later for sex.But she said Brand made her shower and brush her teeth first, then forced her into anal sex.The complainant conceded in court that she had not 'painted myself in a good light', but Ms Karmy-Jones argued that the jury could therefore assess the woman as 'completely honest'.She said: 'She did say no, she did say stop, but he did not.'Giving evidence on Wednesday, Brand insisted that consent during sex was 'fundamental' and suggested he felt it was 'more important than the sex itself'.But Ms Karmy-Jones asked jurors: 'Taking into account what you have heard, does that ring true as something Mr Brand believed during this time?'Ms Karmy-Jones also accused Brand of gaslighting the women after attacking them by giving them his email address or phone number and pretending nothing had happened.She said the six women, who do not know each other, have been 'haunted for years' by their experiences, with one slipping into alcoholism and several saying they blamed themselves and were afraid to speak out. Ms Karmy-Jones said they are 'six women who have nothing to gain, have not sought the limelight, have not taken part in a documentary, not made claims for compensation'. She added: 'There is no benefit to them, apart from perhaps some closure by coming before you.'Brand's defence barrister, Ian Winter KC, is due to deliver his closing speech on Monday.The trial continues.