The judge in Russell Brand’s criminal trial has reduced one of the charges against him. On October 27, 2026, Mr Justice Bennathan told jurors there was “insufficient evidence” to support an indecent assault count and replaced it with a lesser charge of attempted indecent assault, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including the new one.
What happened in court
Brand’s trial is taking place at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where he faces charges of rape and sexual assault involving six women, with the alleged offenses dating from 1999 to 2009, according to Deadline.
The change came on what Deadline described as the final full day of the prosecution’s case, with a few loose ends expected to be wrapped up the following morning.
Addressing the jury directly, Mr Justice Bennathan explained his ruling. “In respect of count two, I have reached the decision that there is insufficient evidence of indecent assault. That is my decision, not yours. You will be directed to return a not guilty verdict in count two,” the judge said, according to Just Jared, citing TMZ.
Just Jared reported that the jury was directed to formally return a not guilty verdict on that original count, which was listed as count two on the indictment. It was then replaced by the attempted indecent assault charge.
The reduced charge concerns a complainant identified in court as C2. According to Deadline, she alleged that while she was working for MTV in London, Brand attempted to pull her into a bathroom.
What the reduction means
The ruling does not remove the allegation from the case. Instead, it changes what the prosecution must prove on that count. Jurors will now consider whether Brand attempted an indecent assault, rather than whether an indecent assault took place.
According to Just Jared, Brand originally faced seven charges involving six women: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault. The single indecent assault count is the one affected by the judge’s decision. The rape and sexual assault charges were not part of the ruling.
Just Jared also reported that Brand has entered a not guilty plea to the replacement charge of attempted indecent assault, in line with his pleas on every other count.
Brand’s police interviews read to the jury
Jurors also heard statements Brand made during four police interviews conducted between 2023 and 2025, in which he repeatedly denied all charges, Deadline reported. Brand did not give these remarks from the witness box; they were statements given to police and read aloud in court.
In those statements, Brand addressed his past directly. “As I have repeatedly stated publicly and written about extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I have spent years openly denouncing,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He continued, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter: “I had sexual encounters in countless locations and scenarios, often with people I had just met.”
Brand was clear in drawing a line between that history and the accusations against him. “I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity,” he said in the statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He also pointed to media coverage of the allegations. “The magnitude of promiscuity deceptively rendered in recent media attacks have caused consensual encounters to be reframed decades later,” Brand said in a statement read in court, Deadline reported.
How the case reached this point
The allegations against Brand first became public in September 2023, when The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” published a joint investigation into claims of sexual misconduct. Brand publicly denied all of the allegations at the time.
London’s Metropolitan Police opened an investigation that same month. Brand was charged in early April 2025, Variety reported, with counts of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault.
On May 2, 2025, Brand appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where he was granted bail and the case was sent to the Crown Court. Later that month, on May 30, he pleaded not guilty to all charges at Southwark Crown Court, according to Deadline, and a trial date was set for June 3, 2026.
The trial formally began on October 12, 2026, with jury selection taking place on the first day, CBS News reported, citing the Associated Press. By October 22, six complainants had given evidence.
What comes next
With the prosecution’s case due to close after a brief session the following morning, the trial now moves into its next phase. The jury will ultimately decide on each of the remaining counts, including the new attempted indecent assault charge.
Brand maintains his innocence on every charge. The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court.
