# Brand on trial for rape of MTV worker in 2004

> Comedian Russell Brand is accused of sexually assaulting a woman within a minute of meeting her at a Soho bar, a court hears.
- Title: Brand on trial for rape of MTV worker in 2004 · the Guardian
- Summary: Comedian Russell Brand is accused of sexually assaulting a woman within a minute of meeting her at a Soho bar, a court hears. Russell Brand, fifty-one, is on…
- Keywords: russell brand, southwark crown court, rape trial, sexual assault, london, 2004, news, world, Brand, trial, rape, MTV
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/19/russell-brand-trial-dragged-raped-woman-court-told
- Published: 2026-10-19T12:03:39+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: russell brand, southwark crown court, rape trial, sexual assault, london, 2004, news, world
## Brand faces multiple charges
Russell Brand, fifty-one, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women.
## Assault within a minute of meeting
A woman told police Brand sexually assaulted her within a minute of meeting her at a birthday party at a bar in Soho, London in two thousand four.
## The assault in the bar
The woman said Brand grabbed her breasts without warning during conversation. She described his expression as a weird maniacal grin like a clown. He then grabbed her arm and dragged her into the toilets.

> He literally just grabbed my boobs, out of nowhere, just in the middle of a conversation and I just remember this weird maniacal grin, looming in front of me as he just grabbed my boobs.
## Rape in the locked toilet
In a locked, flooded toilet, Brand allegedly orally raped the woman as she told him she did not want to.She said he kept pushing her head down and would not let her go.

> Come on, come on, don't be a spoilsport.
## Aftermath and normalisation
After the alleged assault, the woman said Brand turned to her and said they should swap numbers like nothing had happened.

> Oh, I guess we should swap numbers now
## Nineteen years before reporting
The woman did not report the alleged assault and rape to police until two thousand twenty-three, when media reports about Brand's alleged misconduct were published.

> I just felt this shame that I allowed him to do that to me.
## Why she stayed silent
Giving evidence from behind a screen, the woman said she was terrified to report the attack at the time because of lad culture in the two thousands.

> He was a celebrity and it would be his words against mine. I would be ostracised in my work environment or friends.
## Defence challenges her account
Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, suggested the woman had willingly gone into the toilet for a kiss and a cuddle and questioned why she had not reported the alleged attack during the MeToo movement.

> I was not charmed in the slightest. I'd met this person for a minute before I was sexually assaulted.
## Key takeaway

Russell Brand, fifty-one, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of raping and sexually assaulting six women between nineteen ninety-nine and two thousand nine. He denies all charges.