Russell Brand just took the stand and admitted nobody will testify for him

So here's the big thing. Brand just told the jury, in his own words, that nobody is backing him up. Not one witness.

And that matters, because his whole defence now rests on his word alone. It came just as his own lawyers started laying out his case.

So how did we get here? The trial started 16 days ago, at Southwark Crown Court. Six women are involved. Under UK law, they get lifelong anonymity, every time. Prosecutors say the alleged offences happened between 1999 and 2009.

The prosecution closed its case earlier today. That followed around two weeks of testimony from the women accusing him.

What did prosecutors say? Riel Karmy-Jones KC opened the case by calling Brand a predator with what she said was an indiscriminate and voracious desire for sexual contact. That's the prosecution's case. Brand denies every word of it.

Now, a day before he gave evidence, the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, changed one of the seven charges. Indecent assault became attempted indecent assault. He told the jury there was insufficient evidence over an alleged 2001 incident.

Brand pleaded not guilty to all seven charges at the start. He still does.

And in the witness box, he set out his own view of consent. He told the court it was fundamental and more important than the sex itself.

So that's Brand telling the jury, in his own words, that consent is the thing he takes most seriously. That's the exact issue at the centre of the prosecution's case.

Brand also said he was barred from seeing his baby son in hospital during open-heart surgery, after UK press reports about his conduct first surfaced three years ago. Those reports followed a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. He was in court today with his wife, Laura Gallacher.

The prosecution has not responded to Brand's evidence yet. He has not faced cross-examination. The jury has not heard that part at all.

So what don't we know? Whether the jury will accept his account. Whether any other defence witness will now come forward. And when the jury starts considering its verdict.

Brand denies every charge. Nothing has been proven. And the case continues.