Russell Brand Faces Rape, Sexual Assault Charges in Ongoing Trial
Woman testifies about alleged 2001 incident, defence challenges memory amid 2023 documentary claims.
Carla Rooney
Russell Brand faces multiple charges of rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault against six women.
The woman recounted pulling herself free from Brand's grip. She did not report the incident at the time, citing fear of Brand's fame and his importance to MTV, but went to the police in 2023.
She described Brand as initially 'affable'. Then, she claimed, he "suddenly turned into this wild-eyed maniac trying to pull me into the toilet." He had "a wild look in his eyes," she stated.
Suddenly turned into this wild-eyed maniac trying to pull me into the toilet.
She tried to pull away. "He was trying to pull me into the bathroom and I was trying to pull myself away," she stated. The woman recalled saying, "What are you doing? Are you mad? Let me go."
Brand reportedly pleaded with her to enter the toilets, saying, "Go on, go on, come in." The woman rejected suggestions Brand sought a consensual encounter and stopped when she made her unwillingness clear.
She maintained, "You don’t drag someone by the arm, not in my world anyway." She added, "You don’t grip someone to drag them in, that’s not consensual." Brand did not manage to rape her; she emerged relatively unscathed.
You don’t drag someone by the arm, not in my world anyway. You don’t grip someone to drag them in, that’s not consensual.
The defense barrister suggested the woman reassessed her memory after a 2023 documentary. Ian Winter KC claimed the woman re-evaluated her memory after seeing a 2023 Dispatches documentary.
The defense barrister claimed Brand “invited” her into the toilet for a consensual sexual encounter, describing it as “a short-lived very, very minor incident.” After the woman declined, Brand “left it there,” the barrister stated.
However, the woman testified, "I always knew it was wrong. That didn’t change my mind." Brand denies all charges. The trial continues.