Russell Brand Trial: Katy Perry Omitted By Prosecutors

Katy Perry was largely airbrushed from Russell Brand‘s rape trial after the prosecution agreed to omit mention of the I Kissed A Girl singer from its opening argument.

Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, with two of the offenses taking place in 2009, a year before Brand and Perry married.

The prosecution planned to mention Perry in its opening argument, but agreed to drop a reference to the singer after submissions from Brand’s lawyers. Perry was also not approached for a witness statement.

Deadline can report on Perry’s omission for the first time following reporting restrictions being lifted after the trial concluded on Thursday afternoon.

In legal submissions before the trial began, prosecution barrister Riel Karmy-Jones wrote: “The prosecution recognise that matters post-2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening.”

The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service has also confirmed that Perry was not asked for a witness statement during the police investigation into Brand.

Senior Crown Prosecutor David Roberts said: “We followed all reasonable lines of inquiry in statements that would have been relevant to the specific charges and I’m satisfied that all reasonable lines of inquiry were covered.”

Perry was only referenced once during the four-week court proceedings, when Brand was giving evidence to the jury. He said his relationship with the singer helped propel him to “staggering fame.”

Judge Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand yesterday that he would be given a “custodial sentence of some length,” and he was remanded in custody until sentencing on Monday. A rape conviction can carry a sentence of life in prison in the UK.