The essentials
Defence lawyer Ian Winter has challenged the women's accounts, while Brand has not yet given evidence.
Defence lawyer Ian Winter has questioned the women's accounts during the trial, testing their evidence as proceedings continue in London.
Russell Brand pleaded not guilty to three rape counts, three sexual assault counts and one indecent assault count. In police interviews, he denied engaging in nonconsensual sexual activity.
The defence's questioning is one way the court evaluates the evidence, though the specific points raised in cross-examination are not detailed in the available facts.
Brand has not testified in the trial so far. His denials in police interviews stand as his stated position on record, while the jury considers the women's accounts and the challenges raised to them. No decision on whether he will give evidence has been reported.
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Defence challenges accounts, testing the prosecution's case before the jury
From the defence perspective, Ian Winter's questioning of the women's accounts is a means of testing their reliability before the jury. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all seven counts and denied nonconsensual sexual activity in police interviews. The defence position is that the accusations are contested, and the questioning continues as the trial proceeds.
Brand's absence from the witness box leaves police denials untested in court
Brand has not testified in the trial so far, so his denial of nonconsensual sexual activity in police interviews has not been tested through his own testimony. The jury's assessment therefore rests on the women's accounts and the challenges Winter has raised against them. Whether Brand will give evidence remains unresolved in the available facts.