The Trial

Russell Brand's wife, Laura Gallacher, today took the stand to give evidence in his defence. She said she first struck up a relationship with the comedian after meeting him at one of his gigs when she was 19 in 2006. But she said their relationship didn't last more than a few months because he was promiscuous and cheated on her. Eight years later they rekindled their affair and got married...

Russell Brand has taken the stand and spent five hours in the witness box denying that he raped, sexually assaulted and attempted to indecently assault six women over a decade. He admitted he used his fame to beg, flirt and seduce countless women and said he'd dedicated much of his life to 'reckless philandering and idiocy.' But he insisted he only had sexual encounters with women who...

The jury today heard the words of Russell Brand for the first time. They were told that he was interviewed by police four times over two years and each time insisted he’d never had non-consensual sex with anyone. He admitted he’d led a promiscuous life and had sex with countless women in a variety of locations, including toilet cubicles. But he insisted the women had ‘invented and reimagined’ thei...

The woman who was Russell Brand's PA at the height of his fame has said his sexual appetite was "insane." Helen Berger was giving evidence at his trial for several counts of sex offences. She said she often encountered Russell Brand having sex with different women - in his dressing room, in the bedroom of his flat in Camden, in the shower and in public toilets. She said even when he...

Day 10: The prosecution case is now nearing the end and several friends and relatives of the woman who alleges Russell Brand anally raped her are being called to give evidence or their statements read to the jury. One said she was crying, looked grey and ashen as she recounted what had happened at the comedian’s home. The friend said: ‘She looked ill, she said it really f***ing hurt.’ A nurse who...

Day 9: We've now heard from all six of the women in the case. Today Caroline and Liz have the words of the final three of them. One alleges Russell Brand attacked her in a frenzy, kissing and groping her without warning in front of several members of his entourage, before laughing when she told him to 'f*** off.' Another claims he 'hurt and harmed her' during an alleged rape af...

Day 9: The final alleged victim of Russell Brand said she felt degraded “like a piece of meat” after he anally raped her. She said for years she blamed herself for willingly going to his house for sex. But she did not consent to what he did. She became an alcoholic and struggled to live with the guilt and shame. But she said part of her recovery was accepting what happened was not her fault. Russe...

It’s Day 7 of The Trial: Russell Brand and we’ve now heard from four of the six women at the case. They all accuse Russell Brand of some kind of sexual offences. Today we’ve got the words of a woman who says she was leapt on by Russell Brand when she was working for a radio station in the early 2000s when he was staring in the Big Brother spin off show. She said he leapt on her in a tiny room, kis...

It's Day 6 of Russell Brand's trial and we've now heard from three alleged victims. One of the women told the jury today that within 30 seconds of meeting him in a bar in 2004, Russell Brand grabbed her breasts, and then dragged her into the toilet where he orally raped her. The woman said she was in shock and in a daze after the alleged attack but afterwards Russell Brand simply sugge...

It's Day 2 of Russell Brand's trial and the 12 people who will decide his fate have been selected. Russell Brand looked on from the dock as the jury of 8 men and 4 women all swore to try his case according to the evidence. They were told by the judge not to disucss the case outside of the jury, to carry out their own research, or to be swayed by the views of others. And they were warned to...

One of the women who claims she was raped by Russell Brand in 1999 today spoke about what she says happened to her. She said he attacked her in a hotel room after she met him at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth. She told the jury at Southwark Crown Court that he pulled her onto a bed, pressed himself on top of her, ripped her clothes down and raped her. She said she felt dirty, shocked a...

"Ruthless, calculating, manipulative, a sexual predator." Those are the words used today to describe Russell Brand. As the prosecution opened their case in London, Russell Brand was accused of not caring what state he left his victims in, in his quest to satify his "insatiable desire" to get what he wanted. He's accused of raping and sexually assaulting women over a decade....

It's Day 2 of Russell Brand's trial and the 12 people who will decide his fate have been selected. Russell Brand looked on from the dock as the jury of 8 men and 4 women all swore to try his case according to the evidence. They were told by the judge not to disucss the case outside of the jury, to carry out their own research, or to be swayed by the views of others. And they were warned to...

It’s Day 1. The start of Russell Brand’s trial in London. He’s accused of several counts of rape and sexual assault - which he denies. As things got underway, Russell Brand, wearing a blue suit, an open neck shirt and a cravat, stood in the dock. The first order of business was to select the jury and Caroline and Liz were there. Subscribe via https://plus.thecrimedesk.com Follow us on TikTok @TheC...

A new trial and a new series with Caroline and Liz. This time it’s Russell Brand in the dock facing charges of rape and sexual assault. It’s alleged that over 10 years from 1999 to 2009 he sexually assaulted 6 different women. He has vowed to clear his name, saying he was many things but never a “rapist” and in the coming days and weeks a jury will be asked to decide. We’ll be there every day and...

In this special video episode Caroline and Liz are back to discuss Lucy Letby - focusing on the facts and context of the case. Joining them in the studio is Press Association Reporter, Kim Pilling, who covered every day of the trial and believes more balance is needed in the ongoing conversations. They discuss how cherry-picking certain elements of the case, while omitting key information, has cre...

In October 2021, David Parfett tragically found his son, Tom, dead in a hotel room in Surrey. Tom was just 22 years old. David was determined to find the truth behind his son’s death. He followed Tom’s digital footprint and made a shocking discovery. A man called Kenneth Law had set up an online company to exploit vulnerable people suffering from mental illness. He helped them take their own lives...

Can new government measures really improve the experience of rape victims in the criminal justice system? With thousands of rape and sexual assault cases waiting to reach court, ministers are promising dedicated courtrooms, fixed trial dates and more support for victims. In this episode, Liz speaks to senior barrister Mary Prior KC about whether the proposals can make a meaningful difference. Mary...

We now know for certain, babies should not have died at the Countess of Chester Hospital. In her scathing report into the failings which allowed Lucy Letby to harm babies for months, Lady Justice Thirlwall said three babies should not have died and seven more should not have been harmed. In her scathing report she condemned a fundamental lack of understanding of basic safeguarding regulations, a “...

Could Lucy Letby have been stopped sooner? Could babies have been saved? Was there an orchestrated hospital cover up? Were parents consistently lied to? Did a toxic hospital culture allow a serial killer to remain undetected for months?  Today Lady Justice Thirlwall is likely to answer these questions and more when she publishes her long-awaited report into the failings at the Countess of Che...

Today on the podcast Caroline and Ryan have the extraordinary allegations against a Church of England Priest, who ran what's been called a "cult" service to abuse his female "disciples". Chris Brain admits having sexual relations with worshippers at the infamous Nine O'Clock Service in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s, but he's now accused of criminal offences. The allegation is the women he targe...

Does the law need to change in order to better protect jurors? That is what the House of Lords is now considering. Long-established laws means members of a jury are not allowed to discuss a case with anyone during a trial. And even after a trial is finished, what they can say about what they have seen and heard is limited. But it's now recognised that the evidence in many cases is traumatising and...

60-year-old Christopher Phillips kept his mother’s body in a freezer for almost three years, talking to her about her favourite television programmes and holding her hand as if she were still alive. A court heard that he was suffering from a little-known mental health condition called Prolonged Grief Disorder. But he also kept collecting her pension money - and he's now been sent to prison. ...

In this episode Liz speaks to Ellen Roome, the mum who has spent the past four years fighting for answers about the tragic death of her 14-year-old son Jools. After an inquest that lasted just 23 minutes and failed to properly examine his phone or social media activity, Ellen has now succeeded in getting the original verdict quashed by the High Court and a new inquest opened.  Ellen tells Liz...

Simon Levy will never be released from prison. A judge today decided his crimes against three women were so horrific, so depraved, that he should spend the rest of his life behind bars. In this episode, Liz and Nick have all the details from an emotional day at the Old Bailey, including the words of Sheryl Wilkins’ mum Mary and sister Lindsay, and Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo’s daughter Nazly. They...