Sexual misconduct allegations against Brand ‘poisoned the wells’, court told

Allegations about Russell Brand’s sexual conduct in 2023 “poisoned the wells” of justice, his trial has heard.

Brand’s barrister Ian Winter KC, in his closing speech at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, began by reciting an 1864 quote from philosopher John Henry Newman.

Quoting it, he said: “What I insist upon here, now that I am bringing this portion of my discussion to a close, is this unmanly attempt of his, in his concluding pages, to cut the ground from under my feet … this I call poisoning the wells.”

He said that 2023 reporting of sexual misconduct allegations in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and Times and Sunday Times stories had “poisoned the well of justice” in Brand’s case by prompting the women to come forward with accusations afterwards.

Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London (Ben Whitley/PA)

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He told jurors: “They poisoned the wells in the hope and intention that other people come forward and make allegations against him.”

Brand denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault against six women, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999.

Mr Winter said the complainants did not make the “independent decision” to speak out.

The barrister added: “Living a highly promiscuous life is entirely lawful, however morally distasteful you may find it.”

He added: “The question for you is can you possibly be sure in this case that out of the many, many women who voluntarily had sex with Mr Brand, he raped just three of them.”

Mr Winter said the 2023 allegations against Brand had had a “truly devastating effect” on him, reminding jurors of the defendant’s recounting of being blocked from visiting his baby son when he was having open heart surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

He said: “That tells you the extent to which public opinion has been perverted and corrupted.”

Of the allegations, he said the women “think it now”, but does not “reflect what they were actually thinking back then”.

He added: “That is the precise consequence of the poisoning of the well.”

Brand was accompanied by his wife Laura Gallacher as he arrived at the central London court on Monday morning.

Also with them was Gallacher’s father, Ryder Cup-winning golfer Bernard Gallacher, 77, who put his hand on his daughter’s back as they exited a silver Mercedes and walked towards the steps.