Brand admits misuse of fame, denies seven charges

Russell Brand acknowledged in court that he had used his fame to facilitate sexual access, which he said was wrong, while denying all seven criminal charges in his trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. The charges concern allegations by six women of offences between 1999 and 2009. No verdict has been reached. Brand, 51, testified that he had been comfortable using his growing celebrity to pursue sexual encounters and described his past conduct as reckless philandering. He said consent was fundamental and maintained that the encounters he could recall were consensual. His admission about his past behaviour was not an admission to any of the alleged offences. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. In response to questions from his barrister, Ian Winter, Brand denied committing each charge. He said he could not remember some alleged incidents and disputed complainants’ accounts of others. The allegations include a rape alleged to have occurred in a Bournemouth hotel room in 1999, an attempted assault involving an MTV worker in 2001, and alleged offences at a London bar and radio station in...