From the Guardian · · 2m
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.
In brief
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 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…
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.”
The 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.
