dirty and disgusting ; and a then-21-year-old fan who says Brand anally raped her at his home after she met him at one of his shows in 2009.

She said the following year she exchanged text messages with Brand, telling him:  You treated me like an animal.  He replied:  I'm sorry. 

The final complainant says Brand demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin during the recording of an advertisement in 2009.

Karmy-Jones told the jury that none of the alleged victims reported the alleged assaults at the time, due to guilt, shame and concern that they would be blamed. They individually went to police after a 2023 television program broadcast anonymous claims against Brand, she said.

The prosecutor said that jurors would hear from the women later in the trial, and  I have no doubt you will find their evidence compelling. 

The first witness to give evidence was Mark Pinheiro, a former friend of Brand who accompanied him on the 1999 trip to Bournemouth. He said that the day after the alleged rape, Brand made them leave town abruptly and seemed  incredibly alert and incredibly afraid. 

 Whenever a police siren passed the car, Russell would cower down behind the side window so he couldn't be seen,  Pinheiro said.

Brand's lawyer, Ian Winter, questioned Pinheiro's recollection of events more than a quarter century ago.

Brand denies all the charges. In police interviews, he denied ever engaging in nonconsensual sexual activity.

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Brand has shifted away from mainstream media to an online audience

Brand is on bail and arrived at court on Wednesday to a crowd of photographers and video journalists. He said he felt  blessed. 

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

Known for risque stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s, hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films including  Forgetting Sarah Marshall  and  Get Him to the Greek  and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.

In recent years he has moved away from mainstream media, relocated to Florida and built a large online following with videos mixing wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious devotion.

The Associated Press doesn't name victims of alleged sexual violence, and British law protects their identities from the media for life.