British actor and comedian Russell Brand was a ruthless sexual predator who sexually abused six women despite their protestations, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Brand, 51, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and former husband of US singer Katy Perry, faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault relating to six women from 1999 to 2009. He denies all the accusations.
"Today I feel blessed," he said as he arrived at London's Southwark Crown Court. "I feel of course concerned but hopeful that this process will lead to good outcomes for everybody involved."
Opening the case against him, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said that regardless of who the women were or what they said or did, he was not deterred in targeting them.
"Some of the women involved protested and said no, others had no opportunity to react to his advances but it mattered not to the defendant," she said.
"His desire, his strong desire, for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious," she said.
"He could be nice when he wanted to be, funny - undoubtedly - charming, likeable even - when he wanted something in return.
"But then demanding, entitled, a flirt with a huge sexual appetite, child-like in his expectation that his every desire should be met.
"He was ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative and, the prosecution say, he was a sexual predator."
His trial is expected to last about six weeks.
The comedian, known for his flamboyant style and appearance, was a regular on British television screens in the 2000s and also worked as a radio presenter for the BBC.
He went on to star in a number of films including Get Him To The Greek in 2010, the same year he married Perry. They divorced in 2012 after 14 months of marriage.
More recently Brand has mainly appeared in online broadcasts, with content often focused on US politics, religion and free speech. – Reuters
