Jury hears testimony from accuser in trial against Russell Brand

The jury in Russell Brand’s trial heard a recorded police interview this Tuesday, 20 of October, in which a woman described an alleged rape that occurred in 2009 at the comedian’s home in London. The testimony is part of the case involving seven sexual offense charges against the actor, who denies all the accusations and has pleaded not guilty.

The recording was presented at Southwark Crown Court. The accuser explained that she met Brand after a comedy performance at the Hammersmith Apollo and that, after exchanging messages with him, she went to his home in Hampstead. She said she was a fan of the artist and agreed to visit with the intention of having sex.

In her account, the woman distinguished that initial consent from what she later alleged: she said Brand performed a sexual act she had not agreed to and continued despite her asking him to stop. She described pain and difficulty speaking or breathing during the alleged assault. These statements are part of her testimony, not a finding by the court.

The accuser also said she later spoke with people close to her about what had happened and underwent sexual health testing. She explained that for years she struggled to come to terms with what had happened and blamed herself for having gone to the home voluntarily.

Two other women testified during the same day, both from behind a screen. One alleged that Brand kissed and touched her without her consent at a radio station in the mid-2000s. The other described alleged nonconsensual sexual contact while working on a television project in 2009 and said she reported it to her supervisor.

Brand, 51 years old, faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault, relating to six accusers and alleged incidents spanning 1999 to 2009. He has maintained that any sexual contact that may have taken place was consensual. The trial is ongoing, and the allegations remain subject to the court’s assessment, under the presumption of innocence.