Actor and YouTube personality Russell Brand took the stand Wednesday in London during his trial, in which he faces seven charges, including for sexual assault.
The trial reached its third week at Southwark Crown Court, where the prosecution aims to convict him for raping and assaulting six women between 1999 and 2009.
Mr. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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“Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary,” Mr. Brand, 51, told the court, saying that, in many ways, it’s “more important than sex itself.”
During the trial, Mr. Brand has continued posting new videos to his 6.6 million followers on YouTube. In recent years, he has become an outspoken Christian, a topic he discusses regularly on his channel.
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