Russell Brand: On Trial

There's some explicit discussion of the legal definition of rape and sexual assault in this episode.

Sky News' Martin Brunt reports on more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand, as more witnesses give statements.

The court heard a read statement from Helen Berger, Russell Brand's former PA, who described what she calls Brand's "insane sexual appetite" and said he was "sleeping with people day and night". She said she had never witnessed him doing anything against the law.

Katie is away so Martin is joined by Wendy Joseph, a former judge at...

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault.

Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand, as the family and friends of a woman who accuses him of rape in 2009 give evidence.

The woman claims she was anally raped by the comedian at his home. Her friends, family and colleagues have given their accounts of what she’d told them - including that she’d been "humiliated, scared, violated and in pain" after the alleged rape.

The defence cross-examined witnesses including the...

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault.

Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the case against Russell Brand as a third woman who has accused him of rape continues giving evidence and is cross-examined.

The woman alleges she had consensual vaginal sex with Russell Brand at his home, before he anally raped her. She said, ‘I felt completely degraded and like I'd been treated like an animal, like a piece of meat’.

During cross-examination Ian Winter KC, for the defence, brought up conflicting accounts in h...

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault.

Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more of the prosecution case against Russell Brand as a third woman accuses him of rape and two more women allege he sexually assaulted them.

One woman claims she was anally raped by the comedian at his home. She said that when she asked him to stop, he continued and she said she was in pain and couldn't speak or breathe.

The court also heard from two more women who allege that Brand...

Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault.

Sky News' Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer report more from the prosecution case against Russell Brand as a second woman accuses him of rape.

She alleged that within a minute of meeting her in 2004, Russell Brand grabbed her breasts, then dragged her into a Soho bar toilet and orally raped her, afterwards saying “I guess we should swap numbers now”.

Brand’s defence barrister questioned why she did not report the allegation until 2023. The woman said she was afraid she would not be...

Today, a second alleged victim took the stand in Russell Brand’s trial.

She told the court Brand grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into a toilet, but she pulled away saying “are you mad?”.

He allegedly turned from being “jovial” to a “wild eyed maniac”.

Sky News’ Katie Spencer and Martin Brunt were in court for heated exchanges as Brand’s defence barrister challenged the woman.

Brand faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all the charges.

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WARNING: This episode contains graphic details of alleged rape and sexual assault as described in court.

“I'm reporting that Russell Brand did rape me”- those were the words the jury heard in a video played in Southwark Crown Court today.

They came from Russell Brand’s first accuser in a police interview in 2023 when she claimed she was raped by him in a hotel room in 1999.

Sky News’ Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer take you through the allegations and the cross examination of the woman by Brand’s barrister.

Brand faces thre...

WARNING: This episode contains graphic details of alleged rape and sexual assault as described in court.

Follow the feed to get every episode from Sky News' Katie Spencer and Martin Brunt.

Today, the prosecution set out its case against Russell Brand calling him “ruthless, calculated and manipulative…a sexual predator”.

We heard from a former flatmate of Brand’s - the first witness for the prosecution - who told the court Brand said he “may have gone a bit too far” with a woman.

The day started with Brand responding to Katie outsid...

What happened on Russell Brand’s first day in court as the trial process got underway?

Sky News’ Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer take us through the day- inside and outside the court. It starts with queues of journalists arriving early to get a seat on the press benches of court 3 at Southwark Crown Court.

Outside photographers gather to get images of Russell Brand as he walks in with his wife. No cameras or recording are allowed inside so Katie Spencer - arts and entertainment correspondent for Sky and crime commentator Martin Brunt - are your...

As Russell Brand goes on trial, Sky News brings together two award winning journalists to cover the case. Together this pair has more than 30 years experience reporting on the most high profile criminal cases.

Sky News’ crime commentator Martin Brunt and entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer will be at Southwark Crown Court to hear the prosecution case, witness testimonies and Brand’s defence.

He faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and denies the allegations against him.

Ou...

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EPISODE 7: A new court case finally exposes abuse in Barrow. Jason and Liz have known about these allegations for years but they can only reveal the facts now. The case involves three brothers and it's taken their victims more than a decade to get justice. Now we can tell the story of their crimes and follow a thread leading back to Ellie Williams. She's out of jail and not allowed to talk to the media. But Jason and Liz find her old diaries raise fresh questions.  
  
Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence and sexual abuse, explicit language, and...

Police material is released, taking us to the moments they discover her battered at her flat and the night before her infamous post. They also reveal her reaction when accused of lying. Meanwhile Liz and Jason are given a psychiatric report charting medical records and interviews which reveal more on Ellie’s background and state of mind. And, finally, Liz hears from the young woman at the centre of it all - directly from prison.   
 
Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide 

From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Fa...

It’s revealed Mohammed Ramzan has been facing allegations other than from Ellie Williams. Liz and Jason meet ‘Sarah’ - who says she was groomed as a child in Hull and accuses Mo of being involved in the gang responsible. He claims something more sinister is at play. But his anger at the situation sees him back in court – in the dock.  
 
Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide 
 
From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Farrell and Liz Lane  
 
Series Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock 
Executive Producer: Louise C...

Ellie has been sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison but questions have been raised about what evidence was presented and left out in court. One potential witness who wasn’t called on says she could have supported parts of Ellie’s story. Liz and Jason ask why Williams wasn’t prosecuted in relation to the other men she had accused.  
 
Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide 
 
From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Farrell and Liz Lane  
 
Series Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock 
Executive Producer: Louise...

After Covid delays, the trial is finally held and Ellie Williams is in the dock. Liz and Jason were among the reporters at court when the extent of her claims were revealed for the first time, shocking the media and public alike. She’s accused of perverting the course of justice against 5 men, including 4 who are white – of lying to police and falsifying evidence to back up her claims, including causing the horrific injuries to herself. Liz and Jason share some of the shocking twists and revelations of the 11-week trial and what Ellie has to say in her defence.  
 ...

The fuse has been lit...and with limited information from police or in the news, social media speculation starts fingers pointing. Barrow is about to hit boiling point. Asian businesses are attacked.  Individuals are targeted. Meanwhile local businessman Mohammed Ramzan is arrested – suspected of being a central figure in the grooming gang. But a senior detective coming onto the case starts to find holes in the account police have been told.  
 
Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide 
 
From Sky News Storycast, Unreliable Witness is presented by Jason Farrell and Liz Lane  

Ellie’s family and boss share their worries about her leading up to the infamous Facebook post. Unexplained injuries. Becoming withdrawn. Incessant messages. Harassment on the street. Then she started to go missing regularly. When she suddenly moves out of the family home, her family feel they’re losing contact. Eventually she turns up so badly injured she says she can’t take it any more and goes public with claims on social media that go viral and shock the nation.  
 
Warning: This series discusses issues of sexual abuse, self-harm, violence and suicide. If you feel affected by the issue...

At the height of lockdown, 19-year-old Ellie Williams claims on social media she’s been trafficked by an Asian grooming gang across the North of England. Photos of her horrific injuries add to the outrage and the post goes viral – shared more than 100 thousand times.
Social media rumours lead to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. But when she’s arrested for perverting the course of justice, things really explode and there are protest rallies and claims of a cover-up. At the trial the prosecution claims she’d lied, faked text messages and even caused t...

A long serving doctor and his partner agree to help Alexis break out of psychiatric care and flee the country, a decision that has the potential to change all their lives.

This series discusses rape and sexual assault.

Credits -

From Sky News StoryCast, Patient 11 is written and produced by Robert Mulhern. Reporting by Rebecca Thomas and Robert Mulhern. Editing by Paul Stanworth. Data and Forensics by Saywah Mahmood. Social Media by David Chipakupaku. Story commissioner, Dave Terris. Graphics by Kelly Casanova. Press and marketing by Anna Phelan. If you were impacted by this...

Enduring long periods in solitary and having descended to the darkest reaches of psychiatric care, Alexis plots an escape, one, that if successful, will take her thousands of miles from England.

This series discusses rape and sexual assault.

Undiagnosed, legally detained and separated from her daughter for more than a year, Alexis is moved to an all-male psychiatric ward on Christmas Eve, 2013.

What happens next will, ultimately, bring her to the attention of the most powerful institutions in the state.

This series discusses rape and sexual assault.

Following the death of her brother, young mother Alexis Quinn seeks temporary respite in NHS psychiatric care, never imagining that three days, would turn into more than three years, or that her bid to break free would bring her to the attention of UK and European law enforcement agencies.

This series discusses rape and sexual assault.

Young mother and former GB youth swimmer, Alexis Quinn, agrees to enter NHS England psychiatric care following a family tragedy. She could never imagine that her three-day admission will turn into a three-year ordeal.

Then undiagnosed with autism, and often the subject of 24-hour surveillance as well as long periods in solitary confinement, Alexis descends to the darkest reaches of locked-in, psychiatric care. There, she encounters the kind of threat she never could have imagined in a secure mental health hospital. In a bid to break free, Alexis plots a daring escape.

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