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Brand ‘was defending Katy Perry from up-skirt shot’
Russell Brand’s US plans in jeopardy after being charged over punch-up with photographer
He has been in Hollywood only a relatively short time but it seems Russell Brand has got the measure of how to appeal to the American public - and specifically jury members. Arrested for lashing out at a photographer at Los Angeles international airport, he made it clear to the police that he was only defending his fiancee Katy Perry after the snapper tried to get a shot up her skirt.
As the TMZ gossip site points out, this is not a legal defence in a case of ‘misdemeanour battery’ - which is what Brand was charged with – but any jury is likely to be sympathetic to the celebrity victim and hostile towards the photographer.
The photographer in question is Marcello Volpe, who was trying to snap the British comedian and his American pop star fiancee as they passed though security at LAX.
Claiming Brand had punched him in the right eye, Volpe, 28, made a citizen's arrest. Brand was questioned by police for three hours before being charged and released on $20,000 bail.
If Volpe is successful in pressing charges then Brand, who has just finished filming his remake of the 1982 comedy Arthur, faces being barred from the United States. Such a ban could spell the end of his fledgling Hollywood career as well as threatening his forthcoming marriage plans.
It is to be hoped, for Brand's sake, that prosecutors decide they stand little chance of winning a case where a paparazzo – about as low as you can get in the public esteem – has hassled a movie actor, who in turn was standing up for one of the country’s biggest female pop stars.
Just to be clear where Brand and Perry stand on this, she tweeted over the weekend: "If you cross the line and try and put a lens up my dress, my fiance will do his job and protect me..." before adding: "Don't fuck with the Brands." ·
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Well Done Russell! Anyone who disrespects your partner in that way should be subject to an asskicking. I smell a counter-suit for invasion of privacy, taking an up-shot of a womans panties is just about the most sleazy thing a man could do. Russell did the right thing and can be proud of himself.
typical of american justice ,if it had been an american star nothing would have been done a wouldjust like to make one comment if it was an american whose wife had been treated like that would you have just have stood there and let him stick his camera up your,e wifes dress ,i dont think so?
Of course he did nothing wrong, he just hates impropriety.....
................If they kick him out he'll come back here.
It'd be a great miscarriage of justice if Russell Brand(who incidentally I am not a fan of) is found guilty of assaulting this low life, scum of the earth papparazzi.Of course most men would react this way if someone tried to take a photograph up their girlfriends skirt!!! Mercello "the pervert" Volpe should be behind bars for invasion of privacy...he is a disgrace, he's lucky he only received a black eye