Russell Brand 🤢🤮 - crunch time

[KidsDoBetter]

Continuing the docky wock

don’t want to jinx it by referring to potentially Jaily Wail

Yes A he was making that guy get out before him - trying to play a trick

I

He bought Kier Starmer at the start of the trial.

Dumped his previous wife by text? Who does that,?

As we say where I’m from: dragged up.

I note he’s the only child of his parents (tho his father was absent for much of his childhood). I wasn’t stunned to learn this: I imagine he was simultaneously benignly neglected and indulged and this is the result.

I say this as an only child with an only child myself.

I sadly think you’re likely to be right on all of this.

It’s funny because I just read through the route to verdict and I feel it focused my mind in the opposite direction, and I feel guilty verdicts are a distinct possibility on at least some of the counts. I feel some of the strongest ones are the less serious ones, and the oral rape is possibly the weakest.

I agree with a pp that much will turn on how the witnesses including RB came across.

In both the vaginal and the anal rape, both complainants gave evidence that they actually said no. Let’s not forget that simple fact, given by witnesses who, as far as I can tell from the reporting, have not significantly had their credibility undermined to my mind. I think the defence have got problems. Their strongest hope is the delay in reporting, which could elicit a lot of sympathy.

I relaly hope so. I think the issue is the number of people who would need to all say yes. I wouldn’t surprised if 8 or 9 do, but I can’t see a whole (or even majority) jury doing so. I really hope I’m wrong. And like you say, it depends on so many factors - including what the barristers were like when cross examining and in their closing speeches. Let’s all hope though!

@easteggdo you think that’s in large part because you’re reading and thinking like a lawyer?

I think it’s definitely a fairly logical and balanced approach I’m taking, or trying to take, and that’s quite lawyerly I suppose. Perhaps I can’t see the wood for the trees and everyone saying powerful men always get off will be proved right.

@easteggI fervently hope there’ll be enough who think like you on the jury to swing it. I also hope the violence of woman 5’s testimony (the anal rape charge) mean he’s convicted on at least this one.

I hope you’re right, and I’m wrong.

It’s the one playing on my mind the most. It’s in some ways the strongest, but also the most susceptible to judgment about the complainant’s morals. There will be a lot of media attention on that one if he’s convicted, and I hope it will be reported properly in the mainstream media.

I agree on both counts. But I do think people have moved on an awful lot in their understanding of the daft, unwise etc sexual things people do particularly when they are young and star struck. So hard to know in terms of cultural and religious references of the jury.

The summing up of the defence had me raging.

"A rapist doesn't X,Y,Z" and repeat. How does he know what rapists do and do not do?

And one of the victims who got in a car to go to the police (I don't know if it was a taxi) and did not tell the diver she had just been raped. I don't think I would either.

What do you think they’ve told the children?

How old are they? Im
assuming school age? They’ll hear it in the playground even if the parents don’t tell them.

Last I heard, his children don't go to school.

No. I am guessing that, in your most vulnerable and shocked state, you wouldn't tell a random (male?) driver, in an enclosed space. :'(

I think the verdict will be in at 2pm on Friday.

i hope so - but it’ll probably be a lot longer. They have to agree on seven separate counts. Which could take ages, especially if there’s a lot of deliberation for each one. Unless they all agree rather quickly on them. But I think it might take until the end of next week.

Terrifyingly, they are home schooled. According to comments on their you tube channel.

The youngest boy is about 3 and the two girls young primary age as far as I know. I feel for the poor kids so much.

Normally on MN you get excoriated for daring to suggest that a child brought up by a single mother could possibly be negatively affected by that - but is fine to disparage RB’s mother …

Yeah, this isn't going to be a clear cut case where there's speedy agreement. I'd be quite suprised if there's a unanimous verdict either way.

People concered about him being found not guilty probably shouldn't worry too much. By far the most likely path to Brand not being found guilty is a hung jury so he'll have to do it all again. Two highly public trials isn't a life sentence but it's a pretty heavy punishment in itself.

That's true @BabyGrooverBug . Out of curiosity, how many retrials are allowed?