Russell Brand’s prosecutors were barred from mentioning Katy Perry, his pop star ex-wife, at his rape trial, it can be revealed.
They were also blocked from mentioning his religious interests during the hearing, which ended in convictions for rape and sexual assault.
Riel Karmy-Jones KC, prosecuting, had sought to give the jury details about Brand’s short-lived marriage to the American singer as part of the background to the rape and sexual assault trial. She also wanted to raise his former drink and drug problems.
But she agreed to remove all these references after representations from Brand’s legal team.
Brand met Perry on the set of the film Get Him To The Greek in 2009, and they married the next year in a Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India, at a venue close to a tiger sanctuary.
According to reports, he informed her by text message that he was filing for divorce on New Year’s Eve 2011, shortly before she was due to appear in concert.
Despite previously showing an interest in Hinduism, Brand converted to Christianity two years ago and it now forms the central theme of his podcast and online content.
He was baptised in the Thames by Bear Grylls, the TV presenter, in 2024 and was seen holding a crucifix and praying in the dock.
In legal submissions before the trial began, Karmy-Jones wrote: “The prosecution recognise that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening.”
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that Perry was not asked for a witness statement during the investigation into Brand.
David Roberts, a senior Crown prosecutor, said: “We followed all reasonable lines of inquiry in statements that would have been relevant to the specific charges and I’m satisfied that all reasonable lines of inquiry were covered.”
In pre-trial arguments, which can be published now the case is over, it was revealed that details of Brand’s drug use and alcoholism would not feature in the case.
The prosecution had wanted to rely on Brand’s “dependency” on drink and drugs, but Ian Winter KC, the defence barrister, objected to this argument.
Helen Berger, Brand’s former assistant, was allowed to give evidence of his “insane sexual appetite”, but her statement was edited to omit her assumption that he had a sex addiction, as well as reference to Brand’s past treatment at a sex addiction clinic.
Extracts from Brand’s memoir My Booky Wook were read to the jury by Karmy-Jones, including lines where Brand had referred to himself as “guilty” after sex, and suggested that he had a “birthright” to orgasm.
But his follow-up memoir My Booky Wook 2 was kept out of the case, after the defence team pointed out it had been published after the last of the allegations in 2009.
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