:NOW Last updated 2026-10-28 12:00 UTC. Built from AP (11:18 UTC), Hollywood Reporter (11:30 UTC), BBC News (11:56 UTC), Variety, Deadline, Irish Examiner, and Southwark Crown Court proceedings. :INFO What happened Russell Brand, 51, took the witness stand at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday 28 October 2026, the first day of his defence case. Called by his lawyer Ian Winter KC, Brand answered "no" loudly and clearly to each of the seven charges put to him. He said he had been unable to persuade anyone else to give evidence on his behalf. He told the court the original Channel 4 documentary making the allegations had had a "devastating" impact on his life, turning friends and colleagues against him. He said: "My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations." The prosecution completed its case over the previous two weeks, during which six accusers gave testimony. :COUNTER 7 Charges Brand faces: 3 rape, 3 sexual assault, 1 attempted indecent assault :COUNTER 6 Women who gave prosecution testimony alleging offences between 1999 and 2009 :STATS [icon:CLOCK] Trial start date | 12 October 2026, Southwark Crown Court, London [icon:CLOCK] Defence case begins | 28 October 2026 [icon:CLOCK] Period of alleged offences | 1999 to 2009 [icon:USERS] Charges: rape | 3 counts [icon:USERS] Charges: sexual assault | 3 counts [icon:USERS] Charges: attempted indecent assault | 1 count (reduced from indecent assault) [icon:CHART] Police interviews of Brand | 4 (November 2023, December 2023, January 2024, July 2025) [icon:CHART] Expected trial length | up to 8 weeks (estimated by judge) :INFO The charge reduction On Tuesday 27 October 2026, Judge Mr Justice Bennathan reduced one of Brand's seven charges from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault. He told jurors there was "insufficient evidence" to support the original charge in connection with an allegation involving an MTV employee in 2001. The allegation was that Brand grabbed a female MTV worker by the arm and attempted to drag her into a toilet. Brand was formally acquitted of the indecent assault count, but jurors will still consider the attempted indecent assault charge at the same incident. :QUOTE [links:https://apnews.com/article/russell-brand-trial-rape-sexual-assault-takes-stand-2026, quotetype:plain, subtitle:Russell Brand at Southwark Crown Court on 28 October 2026] My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations. :INFO The prosecution's case Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC told the jury in her opening statement that Brand was "ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative" and described him as a "sexual predator" with an "indiscriminate and voracious" desire for sexual contact. Over two weeks the court heard from six accusers, all of whom have automatic lifelong anonymity under UK law. The first accuser alleged Brand raped her at the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. Another alleged oral rape in a Soho bar in 2004. A third alleged anal rape at his Hampstead home in 2009. :QUOTE [links:https://variety.com/2026/tv/global/russell-brand-rape-trial-ruthless-calculated-prosecution-1236911046/, quotetype:plain, subtitle:Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC] He was ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative. :TIMELINE Russell Brand trial: key dates Alleged offences take place, according to prosecution, across six incidents involving six women. 2023-11-01 | Brand interviewed by Metropolitan Police for the first time in connection with the allegations. 2024-04-01 | Brand charged with three counts of rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault following a Channel 4 documentary and press investigation. 2025-05-01 | Brand pleads not guilty to all charges at first court appearance. 2025-12-01 | Two further charges (rape and sexual assault) added relating to 2009 incidents; Brand pleads not guilty. 2026-06-03 | Original trial start date set by judge; subsequently delayed to October. 2026-10-12 | Trial begins at Southwark Crown Court. 2026-10-27 | Judge Bennathan reduces one charge from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault. 2026-10-28 | Defence case opens; Brand takes the witness stand as sole defence witness so far. :INFO What we do not know yet The defence has not yet put Brand through its full examination; that questioning was expected to continue on Thursday 29 October 2026. Brand has stated no other witnesses will testify for the defence, but the court has not confirmed the defence case is closed. The jury has not yet retired to consider a verdict. No verdict is expected until at least the following week at the earliest, given the complexity of the charges. :CHECKLIST What to watch next [ ] - Brand's further defence testimony expected to continue on Thursday 29 October. [ ] - Cross-examination of Brand by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC to follow. [ ] - Jury retirement date and verdict: no timeline confirmed as of publication. [ ] - Whether any additional defence witnesses are called. [ ] - Judge's summing up expected once both sides have concluded their cases. :NOTE How we know this. Brand's testimony and courtroom events: AP (11:18 UTC 28 October 2026), Hollywood Reporter (11:30 UTC), BBC News (11:56 UTC). Charge reduction by Judge Bennathan: Variety (27 October 2026). Prosecution opening and trial background: Variety, Deadline, ABC News Australia, Irish Examiner. Interview dates: Variety and AP. All accusers have automatic lifelong anonymity under UK law and are not named in this article. Cover image: Inner London Crown Court, Southwark, London. Photograp :LINK https://apnews.com/article/russell-brand-trial-rape-sexual-assault-takes-stand-2026 AP: Russell Brand denies all charges as he takes the stand at his rape and sex assault trial :LINK https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/russell-brand-trial-witness-stand-statement-evidence-rape-1236741680/ Hollywood Reporter: Russell Brand Trial - Star Takes the Stand and Tells Court No One Will Touch Him With a Bargepole :LINK https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/russell-brand-takes-stand-rape-trial-no-one-else-testifying-1236933186/ Variety: Russell Brand Takes Stand in Rape Trial, No One Else Testifying :LINK https://deadline.com/2026/10/russell-brand-takes-stand-defences-case-crown-court-1237206934/ Deadline: Russell Brand Takes The Stand On First Day Of Defence's Case