London radio worker allegedly assaulted by Russell Brand in the mid-2000s. Nearly 20 years later, she explains to a jury why she stayed silent
Six women. Seven charges.
A former London radio worker told a jury why she stayed silent about an alleged assault by Russell Brand. Fear of losing her job and having a mortgage to pay kept her quiet for nearly twenty years. According to the BBC, the woman, now in her 50s, spoke from behind a blue screen during Brand’s trial at Southwark crown court. She alleged that the entertainer assaulted her at the Choice FM radio studios in central London in the mid-2000s.
She had just stepped out of a small room in the building when she saw him standing outside. According to her testimony, Brand greeted her by saying “aye aye” before grabbing her. She told the court, “He grabbed me by my face, started to kiss me, and when he was kissing me he started pushing me, his body against me.” She told the jury that the encounter felt very frenzied. Brand was running his hands over her body while her back was pressed against the wall.
The witness explained that the kiss felt sloppy and very rough. Brand was touching her breasts and her behind while pressing his entire body against her. She told the courtroom, “His whole body was pressed against me, the kisses were hard and sloppy and going down my neck.” She added, “His hands were moving so much, the reason I used the word frenzied was because it was violent. He just wasn’t stopping.”
She pushed him away and swore at him to stop the encounter
Several people were accompanying Brand at the time, yet none of them intervened or spoke up. She noted that she had never met him before that day. She believed he was visiting the building because of his role on the Channel 4 television show Big Brother’s Big Mouth.
The woman said the incident left her feeling dirty, shaken, and completely stunned. When questioned by Brand’s defence barrister about why she never reported it back then, she pointed to workplace culture. She stated, “It was not the present-day environment.” She added, “On the day it happened, and I ask myself this question, why I didn’t share it. It wasn’t the culture where something happened to you and you tell people.”
The complainant explained that practical worries kept her from going to police officers. She told the court, “I would have thought about a few things. Who would have believed me? I could lose my job and I had a mortgage to pay.” She chose to bury the memory for years because of the media industry environment and his fame. She finally decided to come forward after watching a television documentary regarding allegations against him.
Her testimony is part of a wider trial involving six female complainants
Brand, who is 51 years old, faces seven charges covering a ten-year window from 1999 to 2009. These charges include three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing. He maintains that any sexual contact with the complainants was entirely consensual.
Another complainant also gave evidence behind a screen regarding an encounter in 2009. She worked with Brand on a Channel 4 production project. Members of his team approached her and asked if she would give him a massage. She told them no. Brand then entered the room and placed his head on her lap. Asked where his mouth and nose landed, the woman stated “in my vaginal area.” She was repulsed and reported it to her line manager.
According to The Guardian, a third woman provided recorded police testimony about an alleged rape at Brand’s Hampstead home in 2009. She met him at the Hammersmith Apollo following a comedy performance. She described herself as a massive fan of his work. After performing an oral sex act backstage, she exchanged phone numbers with him. Brand later arranged for a driver to take her to his three-storey townhouse.
She expected to have sex, but she stated that the encounter turned into an assault. Brand allegedly told her to take a shower because her hair smelled funny and told her to brush her teeth.
The woman explained that she could not speak or breathe because of the severe pain. She pleaded with him to stop, but he continued the assault. Following the attack, she claimed he looked horrified and told her, “Clear up the mess you’ve made.” She later visited a sexual health clinic because she feared contracting a disease. Throughout the court proceedings, Brand sat upright in the dock, staring straight ahead while his wife Laura Brand watched from nearby.
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