Russell Brand's wife calls him a 'caring and wonderful father' at rape trial

Testimony from his wife and former girlfriends

Russell Brand's wife, Laura, testified in his defence on 29 October at his rape and sexual assault trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. According to BBC News, she called her husband a 'caring, kind and wonderful father' to their three children and said she 'feels very understood by him'. When asked by the defence lawyer whether he respected her when she did not want intimacy, she replied: 'Yes, absolutely.' Laura Brand is the daughter of former golfer Bernard Gallagher and the sister of TV presenter Kirsty Gallagher; they married in 2017.

What is known about the charges

The 39-year-old media personality faces seven charges — three of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault — based on complaints from six women spanning a ten-year period from 1999 to 2009. He denies all charges and has pleaded not guilty. The day before, on Wednesday, Brand himself testified: he admitted he had been promiscuous, but said that sexual consent is 'fundamental, essential, necessary' and in many ways 'more important than the sex itself', adding that the allegations had had a devastating effect on his relationships with friends and colleagues, who would now no longer 'touch him with a barge pole'.

Testimony about the nature of the relationships

Laura Brand said she met Brand at the Edinburgh festival in 2006, remained his friend during his marriage to singer Katy Perry (2010–2012), and that they got back together in 2015. She said she knew about his 'promiscuity' — 'I could regularly read about it in the newspapers, and he told me himself' — but stressed that their current marriage is 'honest, open and clear'. The same day, the court heard written statements from two of Brand's former girlfriends: Elia Álvarez Díaz, who lived with him for about a year from 1998 to 1999, described him as 'tender' and 'loving', but noted that the relationship ended because of repeated infidelity, adding: 'When I said no, he accepted it'. Amanda Alguero Alejos also spoke of his infidelity and recalled women 'circling' him 'like birds'.

What happens next

According to the BBC, the trial continues, and the jury is likely to retire to consider its verdict on Tuesday. The proceedings are covered in the BBC podcast 'Russell Brand on Trial', available on BBC Sounds and other platforms. The court has previously heard testimony from the complainants: one said the alleged rape 'really did cause pain', while another said Brand treated her 'like an animal'.

Image source, Reuters