Russell Brand was a 'sexual predator', prosecution alleges as rape trial begins

Russell Brand's trial for rape and sexual assault began Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court in London. The prosecution described the 51-year-old actor and comedian as "ruthless" and a "sexual predator."

Brand faces three rape counts, three sexual assault charges and one indecent assault charge. Six female complainants have made allegations spanning 1999 to 2009. He denies all charges.

Riel Karmy-Jones KC, the prosecutor, told the jury that the six women "did not know each other", "have never met each other" and "came forward independently of each other". Karmy-Jones said the circumstances of the alleged offending "were as wide and as varied as the defendant's career".

The prosecutor characterized Brand's pattern of behavior. She told jurors that Brand could be "nice when he wanted to be, funny, charming, likeable even, when he wanted something in return", but also "demanding, entitled" with "a huge sexual appetite". She said he would appear "indifferent, normal and untroubled by what had just occurred" after encounters.

The prosecution outlined six alleged incidents. The first complainant said Brand raped her in 1999 after they met at a Labour Party conference fringe event. When questioned by police, Brand said he did not remember the incident and denied engaging in non-consensual activity.

A second complainant worked for MTV when Brand allegedly indecently assaulted her near the toilets. A third says Brand orally raped her in a toilet after meeting her at a party in 2004, describing him grabbing her breasts within a minute of meeting. A fourth says Brand pushed her against a wall at Capital Radio in 2004 or 2005 and kissed her aggressively while grabbing her body.

The fifth complainant described consensual activity that became non-consensual anal rape. She told Brand "you treated me like an animal", and he replied "I'm sorry." The sixth complainant says Brand demanded a massage in 2009 and put his head into her groin area.

Brand's former flatmate Mark Pinheiro testified Wednesday that Brand told him in 1999 that he may have "gone a little bit too far" with a woman at the Labour Party conference. The trial is expected to last six weeks.