Judge Drops Indecent Assault Charge
Variety • • entertainment
Key Points:
- A judge in Russell Brand’s criminal trial dismissed an indecent assault charge related to a 2001 incident involving a female MTV employee, replacing it with a count of attempted indecent assault due to insufficient evidence.
- Jurors were instructed to consider whether Brand attempted the alleged offense, though he was formally acquitted of the original indecent assault charge, with one juror delivering a not-guilty verdict on that count.
- The trial involves allegations from six women concerning incidents from 1999 to 2009, with Brand facing seven charges including rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault, all of which he denies.
- Testimonies have included accounts of sexual misconduct, such as a 2004-2005 incident where Brand allegedly assaulted a radio station employee, while prosecutors describe Brand as having an indiscriminate and voracious sexual appetite.
- The case follows a 2023 joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” that publicly exposed allegations of rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse by Brand.
