Katy Perry May Have Been 'In the Room' During Alleged Russell Brand Incident, Defence Told Court

Katy Perry may have been in the room when Russell Brand sexually assaulted a woman during Channel 4 filming in 2009, his defence told a court in pre-trial submissions.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted Brand of that sexual assault on Thursday, 5 November, alongside one count of rape and two other sexual assaults.

The alleged incident dates to the year Perry and Brand met on the set of Get Him To The Greek. They married the following year in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India. Their marriage lasted over 14 months, and they divorced in 2012.

Scotland Yard never sought a statement from the singer. Reference to her possible presence was subsequently removed from the trial following submissions by Brand's lawyers, although it had featured in legal argument before the case went before a jury.

The Defence Account Naming Katy Perry

Ian Winter KC, representing Brand, raised the possibility while describing the woman's account of the alleged incident. He referred to other people who she stated had been present during filming, with Perry mentioned as one possible witness.

Winter told the court, 'She [the victim] says that other people were in the room and witnessed it, possibly including the defendant's future wife, Ms Katy Perry.'

Winter's wording did not establish that Perry was present or that she witnessed the alleged conduct. It attributed the suggestion to the woman and remained uncertain whether the singer was among those in the room.

The suggestion emerged during submissions ahead of the jury hearing the case. At that stage, lawyers were addressing references to Brand's personal life, including his relationship with Perry and aspects of his religious history.

Katy Perry and the Police Inquiry

Perry was not approached by Scotland Yard for a statement about the alleged incident, according to the Daily Mail. The account does not explain the decision or include the singer's response on whether she witnessed anything during filming.

Senior Crown prosecutor David Roberts defended the scope of the inquiry, linking the collection of statements to their relevance to the charges.

Roberts stated, '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.'

Roberts' assurance addressed the investigation as a whole. His quoted response did not name Perry or explain why obtaining a statement from her had not formed part of the inquiry.

Why Katy Perry References Were Removed

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC agreed to remove Perry's name after submissions from the defence. In doing so, she referred to the sensitivity of Brand's relationship with the singer and his religious history.

'For the avoidance of doubt, 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.'

Karmy-Jones referred specifically to matters after 2009 involving the relationship. Winter's description concerned the alleged filming incident itself, placing the suggestion of Perry's presence in the period before she and Brand married.

The restrictions extended beyond references to the former couple. Jurors were also prevented from hearing details of Brand's history of alcohol and drug addiction before his conversion to Christianity in 2024.