Russell Brand on trial in London on sexual assault charges

Russell Brand faced jurors in London on Wednesday as his rape and sexual assault trial began. The actor and comedian faces seven sex offense charges involving six different women over a ten-year span.

Brand, 51, pleaded not guilty to all counts. The charges include three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2009.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones opened the case at Southwark Crown Court in London. She told jurors the six women do not know each other. The assaults allegedly happened in a hotel room, workplaces, a bar toilet cubicle and at his home address.

Karmy-Jones said Brand had an indiscriminate and voracious desire for sexual contact at that time. She said women were simply a means to an end for him.

The prosecutor described Brand as a flirt with a huge sexual appetite. She said he was childlike in expecting every desire to be met.

“He was ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative. And, the prosecution say, he was a sexual predator,” Karmy-Jones said.

Brand listened from the dock. The prosecutor detailed each alleged incident to the court. The earliest alleged incident occurred in 1999 in the English seaside town of Bournemouth.

The prosecution said Brand allegedly raped a woman in a hotel room during the Labour Party’s annual conference. Brand was performing in a fringe cabaret at the event.

Two years later, another woman alleges Brand tried to drag her into an office men’s toilet. She worked in the office building where the incident allegedly took place.

“There can be little doubt as to what Mr. Brand’s intention was,” Karmy-Jones said.

A third woman alleges Brand orally raped her in London in 2004 inside a bar toilet. The woman alleges Brand told her not to be a spoilsport when she asked him to stop.

Brand arrived at court on bail. Photographers and video journalists crowded him outside.

Brand said he felt blessed.

“I feel, of course, concerned but hopeful that this process will lead to good outcomes for everybody involved. That’s my prayer.”

Brand built his early fame on stand-up routines, television programs and a BBC radio show. He starred in Hollywood films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.”

Brand later moved to Florida. He built an online audience with videos covering wellness, conspiracy theories and religious devotion.

British law grants lifelong anonymity to alleged victims of sexual offenses. Courts protect their identities from publication throughout legal proceedings.

Brand remains on bail as proceedings continue in London.