英国演员罗素·布兰德性侵案在伦敦开庭遴选陪审团Jury Selection Begins in Russell Brand Rape and Sexual Assault Trial

周一上午，罗素·布兰德身穿灰色西装、戴着墨镜，在保安人员护送及妻子劳拉·加拉赫的陪同下抵达位于泰晤士河畔的萨瑟克刑事法庭。法庭外聚集了大批媒体记者。目前处于保释状态的布兰德在庭审期间坐在被告席内，多数时间双眼直视前方或闭目静坐。主审法官乔尔·贝纳森随即宣布正式启动陪审团遴选程序，并向候选人说明审讯即将开始。

On Monday morning, Russell Brand arrived at Southwark Crown Court wearing a grey suit and sunglasses, flanked by security guards and accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher. A large media presence assembled outside the riverside courthouse beside the River Thames. Brand, who remains on bail, took his seat inside the courtroom dock for the proceeding, where he sat mostly staring straight ahead or with his eyes closed as Judge Joel Bennathan opened the session to begin selecting a jury.

经过上午的问话甄别，潜在陪审员候选人数已从最初名单缩减至20人。法官贝纳森随后宣布休庭至周二。法庭日程安排显示，司法人员将在周二从这20人中选出一个规模更小的正式陪审团并主持宣誓就职仪式，随后让陪审员先行返家，检方开案陈词则定于本周晚些时候启动。

Following an initial round of questioning during the morning hearing, the pool of prospective jurors was whittled down to a group of 20 individuals before proceedings adjourned for the day. Judge Bennathan instructed the candidates that a smaller final jury will be selected from this group on Tuesday, formally sworn in for the criminal trial, and then sent home, clearing the way for prosecutors to deliver their opening statements later in the week.

检方在此案中针对现年51岁的罗素·布兰德提出7项具体刑事罪名，涉及6名女性原告。案发地点据称位于伦敦与伯恩茅斯，时间跨度自1999年至2009年长达十年。指控包括3项强奸罪、3项性侵犯指控以及1项猥亵侵犯指控。根据检方此前在先期庭审中的指控陈述，布兰德涉嫌在工党大会期间的一家酒店房间内强奸一名女性，抓住一名电视节目工作人员的胸部并强迫其在洗手间进行性行为，还被控对一名电台工作人员实施亲吻与摸索猥亵。

The indictment against the 51-year-old Russell Brand details seven specific criminal counts involving six female complainants, with the alleged offenses taking place between 1999 and 2009 across locations in London and Bournemouth. The charges comprise three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault. According to statements made by prosecutors during previous court hearings, Brand stands accused of raping a woman in a hotel room during a Labour Party conference, grabbing a television worker's breasts and forcing her into a sex act in a toilet, and kissing and groping a radio station worker.

面对所有指控，布兰德均已提出不认罪答辩，坚决否认全部涉嫌性犯罪行为。根据英国法律规定，性暴力受害者及原告的真实身份受到终身媒体保护，因此报道中不公开涉案女性姓名。

Brand has entered not guilty pleas to all seven counts and firmly denies each accusation of sexual misconduct. Under British law, victims and complainants of alleged sexual violence receive lifelong protection from media identification, meaning their identities are legally withheld from public reporting.

在遴选问话期间，法官乔尔·贝纳森特别指出了被告人的公众知名度，指出布兰德在数年前曾频繁出现在电视屏幕上，在场许多人可能都听说过他。贝纳森向候选陪审员提及，大约三年前曾有一部第四台（Channel 4）播出的电视纪录片以及《泰晤士报》（The Times）刊发的长篇报道，内容涉及针对布兰德性行为不端的指控，而布兰德对此坚决予以否认。法官要求记得观看过该部纪录片或阅读过该篇报道的候选人举手，现场共有六人举手示意，法官据此将他们从候选人名单中予以排除。

During the selection questioning, Judge Joel Bennathan drew specific attention to the defendant's prominent public profile, noting that Brand had appeared on television a great deal several years earlier and that many in the courtroom would have heard of him. The judge highlighted that approximately three years ago, a Channel 4 television documentary and an extensive article published in The Times newspaper detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against Brand, accusations that Brand firmly denies. Bennathan asked the prospective jurors to indicate whether they remembered watching the documentary broadcast or reading the newspaper piece; six individuals raised their hands and were consequently excluded from the jury panel.

针对完成初选留下的陪审员，贝纳森在休庭前下达了严格的司法指令。法官明确强调，布兰德显然是一位知名度极高的公众人物，但所有陪审团成员绝对不得对被告罗素·布兰德开展任何课外调查或网络检索。法庭要求陪审员必须严格根据法庭上呈交的证据作出裁决，防止此前外界媒体的广泛曝光或未经验证的公开信息对审判公正性造成干扰。

Addressing the prospective jurors who remained following the initial vetting, Judge Bennathan issued strict directives before excusing them from the courtroom. The judge emphasized that the defendant is clearly someone very well known, firmly instructing the group that they absolutely must not conduct any external research whatsoever regarding Russell Brand. The court mandate bars jurors from seeking outside materials or performing private inquiries, ensuring that any eventual verdict relies solely on the evidence formally presented inside the courtroom rather than prior media exposure.

法官乔尔·贝纳森告知陪审员，整场审判预计耗时约六周，但陪审员可能需要随时待命至12月11日，整体诉讼程序可能延长至十周。在周二完成正式宣誓程序后，检方定于周三或本周晚些时候启动其实体开案陈词，全面展开法庭辩论。

Judge Joel Bennathan informed jurors that the proceedings are anticipated to last approximately six weeks, though panel members may need to remain available until December 11, with the trial potentially extending up to ten weeks. Following Tuesday's swearing-in formalities, the trial is scheduled to begin in earnest on Wednesday or later in the week, when the prosecution delivers its substantive opening statements.

布兰德早年以单口喜剧演出崭露头角，因大胆的台风和与药物酒精成瘾斗争而闻名。他在2000年代成为英国家喻户晓的主持人，曾主持《名人老大哥衍生秀》等电视节目，并在BBC广播2台与6台主持广播节目。随后他进军好莱坞，主演了《忘掉负心女》以及2010年的《前往希腊剧院》。同年，他与美国歌手凯蒂·佩里结婚，两人的婚姻维持了14个月，于2012年正式离婚。近年来，布兰德逐渐淡出主流传统媒体并迁居美国佛罗里达州，转战网络平台制作播客视频，围绕美国政治、宗教、言论自由、健康以及阴谋论等议题积累了庞大的线上受众群体。

Brand originally gained prominence through stand-up comedy, becoming known for his risque routines and personal battles with drug and alcohol addiction. During the 2000s, he emerged as a household name across Britain, hosting television broadcasts including Big Brother's Big Mouth and presenting his own radio programmes on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. He later established a Hollywood acting career, starring in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the 2010 comedy Get Him to the Greek. That same year, he married American pop singer Katy Perry, a union that ended in divorce in 2012 after 14 months of marriage. In more recent years, Brand stepped away from mainstream broadcasting and relocated to Florida in the United States, cultivating a large digital following via online podcasts and videos that focus on United States politics, religion, free speech, wellness, and conspiracy theories.