Russell Brand has been formally cleared of one indecent assault charge after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to support it. But the decision does not mean the allegation has disappeared from his ongoing criminal trial.
At Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, 27 October, Mr Justice Bennathan directed the jury to return a not-guilty verdict on the original charge, which concerned an alleged incident involving a female MTV employee in 2001.
The court replaced that count with a charge of attempted indecent assault relating to the same incident. Brand has pleaded not guilty to the revised allegation and continues to deny all charges against him.
Why the judge's ruling does not end the allegation
The distinction matters because the decision was made by the judge on the legal sufficiency of the prosecution's evidence, rather than by jurors deciding whether the alleged incident happened.
According to Sky News' reporting from the courtroom, Mr Justice Bennathan concluded that the evidence presented could not sustain the original indecent assault charge.
He therefore instructed jurors to return a not-guilty verdict. One juror was selected to formally deliver that verdict, while the replacement charge was added to the indictment.
The original count is no longer before the jury. However, the question of whether Brand committed attempted indecent assault remains unresolved.
The allegation concerns a woman who was working at MTV's London offices in 2001. She told the court that Brand grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her into a men's toilet after she had agreed to show him where the facilities were.
Brand disputes the allegation. The jury has not yet reached a verdict on the replacement charge.
What charges does Russell Brand still face?
Following the amendment, Brand, 51, continues to face seven criminal charges involving allegations made by six women:
Three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The allegations concern incidents said to have taken place between 1999 and 2009. The judge's decision on the original indecent assault count does not determine the outcome of any of the remaining charges.
The procedural change came as the prosecution concluded its case and the court heard statements Brand previously provided to police.
As Reuters reported, those statements included Brand's insistence that his past sexual encounters had always been consensual. He also disputed the allegations that emerged following media investigations in 2023.
Those statements represent Brand's account of events, not findings made by the court.
The defence was scheduled to begin presenting its case on Wednesday, 28 October. The jury must still consider the remaining charges after hearing the evidence and the judge's directions.
For now, Tuesday's ruling represents an acquittal on one specific charge and a change to the indictment, rather than a verdict on the wider case. Brand remains on trial and is presumed innocent of the outstanding charges unless proven guilty.
