Prosecutor tells Russell Brand's rape trial jury he treated consent as 'an obstacle to remove or ignore'

Closing arguments in Russell Brand's rape trial at Southwark Crown Court saw prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC tell jurors that Brand "snapped" from charming to frightening to nasty, ignoring women who said no. Six accusers from across a decade — who do not know each other — described the same pattern of flattery followed by assault. Karmy-Jones said the women had "nothing to gain" from coming forward except "some closure".

Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault across the six complainants.

The prosecutor told jurors Brand gaslit victims after attacks, giving them his contact details as if nothing had happened.

Karmy-Jones told the jury the women were not driven forward by media pressure but by their own need for justice after being "haunted" for years.