Russell Brand’s marriage to pop star Katy Perry was excluded from the prosecution’s opening statement during his rape and sexual assault trial in London, following objections from the comedian’s defence team.

The details emerged after Brand was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on November 5. Prosecutors had initially intended to refer to his relationship with Perry, whom he married in 2010, but agreed to remove it after his lawyers challenged its inclusion.

According to pre-trial submissions reported by Variety, lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC said: “The prosecution recognises that matters post 2009 involving his relationship with Katy Perry may be sensitive, as may his previous faiths, and we are content to remove these from the opening.”

Perry was also not asked to provide a witness statement during the police investigation into Brand. Following the verdict, the Crown Prosecution Service said its investigators had pursued all reasonable lines of inquiry relevant to the specific charges.

Although prosecutors did not mention the marriage in their opening arguments, Brand himself referred to it while giving evidence. He described his relationship with Perry as part of a period when he experienced “staggering fame”.

Brand and Perry began dating in 2009 and married in a Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India, in October 2010. They separated in December 2011, with their divorce finalised in 2012.

The defence also successfully challenged the inclusion of other details about Brand’s personal life. Prosecutors agreed not to refer to his previous religious beliefs or his 2024 baptism in the River Thames, which was attended by television personality Bear Grylls.

Evidence relating to Brand’s history of alcohol and drug addiction was also excluded after objections from his legal team. His former assistant, Helen Berger, was permitted to describe aspects of his sexual behaviour, but references to his treatment at a sex addiction clinic were removed.

The restrictions meant jurors heard a case focused on the specific allegations against Brand rather than several aspects of his personal history. The prosecution’s case concerned allegations involving six women and incidents said to have taken place between 1999 and 2009.

On November 5, Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. He had denied all the allegations and was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on November 9.

The revelations about the trial also clarify why Perry’s name did not feature in the prosecution’s opening statement, despite the singer being part of Brand’s public life during the period surrounding the allegations.