British comedian and actor Russell Brand arrived at a London court on Monday as jury selection began in his trial on multiple charges of rape and sexual assault.
Once known for his left-wing views and career as a television and radio presenter, Brand has since repositioned himself as a conservative commentator, attracting millions of followers on social media.
The 51-year-old arrived at Southwark Crown Court in London with his wife, Laura, wearing a grey suit and sunglasses.
Brand faces seven sexual offence charges involving six women, allegedly committed between 1999 and 2009. The charges comprise three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Brand sat in the dock as proceedings got underway at the central London court, where the press benches were packed, according to an AFP journalist present at the hearing. He did not speak during the proceedings.
Jury selection began on Monday, with the presiding judge, Joel Bennathan, excusing some prospective jurors who disclosed that they had watched a 2023 documentary or read an article published as part of a joint investigation by British broadcaster Channel 4 and The Times newspaper into Brand.
The judge told prospective jurors that they might already have heard of Brand through his television career but warned them against conducting online searches about the case.
The trial is expected to last approximately six weeks. The first full hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, although proceedings could extend into December.
Born in 1975 to working-class parents in Essex, east of London, Brand began performing stand-up comedy as a teenager before going on to work as an MTV presenter and host of a reality television series.
He presented a programme on BBC Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008 but resigned following an on-air prank in which he left a sexually explicit voicemail for Andrew Sachs, the Fawlty Towers actor, concerning his granddaughter.
Brand later pursued a career in Hollywood and had a brief but high-profile marriage to American pop star Katy Perry.
AFP
