Russell Brand’s Rape & Sexual Assault Trial Begins: Katy Perry’s Ex Faces Multiple Charges

Russell Brand arrived at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday (October 12) for the start of his criminal trial, in which he faces multiple rape and sexual assault charges.

The British actor and comedian was photographed outside the court wearing a gray suit and sunglasses. His wife, Laura Gallacher, whom he married in 2017, accompanied him. Brand was previously married to singer Katy Perry from October 23, 2010 to December 30, 2011.

The opening day of the trial began with jury selection. The trial could last up to two months, with opening arguments from both the prosecution and defense tentatively scheduled for Wednesday (October 14). Brand remains on bail throughout.

The 51-year-old stand-up comic rose to fame in the U.K. by hosting Big Brother’s Big Mouth and his own show on BBC 6Music, and later on BBC Radio 2. He went on to star in the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and hosted his own FX show, Brand X.

Brand is charged with three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault, and one allegation of indecent assault. The first charges, brought in April 2025, involve four women. Two additional charges came in December 2025 from two more women. The alleged crimes took place between 1999 and 2009.

The Metropolitan Police brought the charges after an investigation that stemmed from a 2023 exposé by The Sunday Times of London and the Channel 4 documentary Dispatches. The exposé accused Brand of rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse.

One of the women who spoke with Dispatches alleged that she was in a relationship with Brand when he was 31, and she was 16. She accused Brand of being “emotionally abusive and controlling.” Another woman told the Sunday Times that Brand raped her in 2012 in his Los Angeles home.

Brand, who in recent years has reinvented himself as a YouTube content creator and right-wing pundit, has strongly denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.