Russell Brand found not guilty of one of seven charges against him, judge rules

A judge at Southwark Crown Court has directed jurors to acquit Russell Brand of an indecent assault charge at the midway point of his trial, replacing it with a lesser allegation of attempted indecent assault.

Mr Justice Bennathan ruled on Tuesday morning that there was not enough evidence to sustain the original charge, which related to a 2001 incident in which Mr Brand allegedly seized a female MTV worker by the arm and attempted to pull her into a toilet.

The judge ordered that count two on the indictment be altered to reflect the new, reduced charge.

To formalise the process, a male juror seated at the end of one row was selected to deliver the not guilty verdict on the original indecent assault count.

Mr Brand has pleaded not guilty to the replacement charge of attempted indecent assault. He denies all seven counts he faces, which include rape and sexual assault.

Explaining his decision to the jury, Mr Justice Bennathan said that one of his responsibilities at the close of the prosecution case was to assess whether sufficient evidence existed for jurors to reach a verdict on each count.

“Not to decide whether the evidence is accurate or false, whether the defendant is guilty or not, but to review whether there is evidence that the jury could return a verdict,” he told the courtroom.

“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 described the procedural steps as a “slightly artificial process” before confirming that Mr Brand had entered a not guilty plea to the newly added count.

Read the full article at GB News.