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Russell Brand attends pre-trial hearing at Southwark Crown Court ahead of rape trial

Russell Brand, who denies all charges including rape and sexual assault, arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday for two days of pre-trial hearings. His trial is due to begin on 12 October.

4 outlets · 0L · 2C · 2R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 2). New coverage since the last version from Deadline, GB News.

Image: Evening Standard
Image: Irish Independent
Image: Deadline
Image: GB News

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The story, neutrally told

Centre · 1Russell Brand arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday 6 October for the first of two days of pre-trial legal argument, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, ahead of his rape and sexual assault trial. Centre · 1The Evening Standard reported that Brand, 51, stayed silent as he walked past waiting news photographers, wearing a grey suit jacket and sunglasses, flanked by a security guard and accompanied by a woman. Mixed · 2Deadline and GB News reported that Brand arrived in a black Mercedes about an hour before the hearing, wearing a grey suit, open white shirt and sunglasses, and did not speak to reporters.

Centre · 1The comedian, actor and podcaster has been accused by six women of sexual abuse allegations spanning 10 years, from 1999 to 2009. Mixed · 2He denies all the charges: three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. Centre · 1Previous hearings have heard allegations that he raped a woman in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, grabbed a TV worker's breasts and forced her into a sex act in a toilet, and kissed and groped a radio station worker.

Mixed · 2Detectives began investigating more than two years ago, following a joint Channel 4 and Sunday Times investigation. Centre · 3The trial is due to begin on Monday 12 October; the Evening Standard says it is expected to last up to 10 weeks, while Deadline and GB News say 10 to 12 weeks. Centre · 1Brand rose to prominence as a stand-up comedian in the 2000s, presented Big Brother spin-off shows and starred in Hollywood films; he has more recently moved into podcasting and online influencing and now lives in the United States. He is on bail during the proceedings.

Centre · 3Coverage also notes his films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and his recent use of platforms such as Rumble; outlets differ on his age, with the Evening Standard giving 51 and GB News 50.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Straightforward court-arrival reports (Evening Standard; Deadline for a US trade audience) covering his silent arrival, the charges, his denial and the trial dates.
Emphasis
Charges, earlier allegations, trial length, Channel 4/Sunday Times origins and career background.
Leaves out or plays down
No comment from Brand's representatives or the complainants.
For example
“one of the nation’s most high-profile celebrity trials gets ready to begin” — Deadline
“Brand stayed silent as he arrived at court on Tuesday” — Evening Standard

Right2 outlets

Framing
Arrival report from the Irish Independent and GB News, stressing his plea of not guilty to all seven charges and the expected global media attention.
Emphasis
Denial of all charges, the 10 to 12 week trial and Brand's online presence.
Leaves out or plays down
GB News does not mention the specific allegations heard at earlier hearings.
For example
“Mr Brand has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges against him.” — GB News
“The comedian, actor and podcaster denies all the charges” — Irish Independent