A woman accusing Russell Brand of rape has told Southwark Crown Court that the "lad culture" of the 2000s stopped her from reporting the TV star to police. She alleges Brand raped her in a Soho bar toilet in 2004, and said she feared she would not be believed if she came forward at the time.
Questioned about why she waited nearly two decades to report the incident, the woman said the thought of doing so "terrified me" and that she believed she would be torn apart in court and face judgment that she was "asking for it".
Fear of Not Being Believed
She said: "In those days, he was a celebrity and it would be his word against mine. I would be ostracised in my work environment or friends. I just thought the odds weren't in my favour and I didn't want to have to go through a court where somebody is tearing down my character."
"I know it's all very different now. In those days, you just weren't believed as a woman and it was a lad culture of 'you were wearing this, so you were asking for it' and all that rubbish we were told back then."
On the fourth day of evidence in his trial, Brand was accused of groping the woman's breasts in the Nordic Bar in Soho before allegedly dragging her to a toilet and forcing her into oral sex. She said he told her "don't be a spoilsport" when she tried to reject his advances in the toilet.
Alleged Attack at Birthday Party
The incident happened during a birthday party at the bar, when Brand's barrister Ian Winter said he was "becoming a superstar" with a burgeoning career on Channel 4. The woman, who was working for MTV at the time, was tearful at times as she recalled Brand's "big weird grin", which she likened to the face of a clown, as he lunged forward and grabbed hold of her.
She claimed the TV star then grabbed her arm "hard" and dragged her to a toilet cubicle, where she says he jumped onto a toilet lid, unzipped his trousers, and forced her into oral sex. Brand denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
The woman gave evidence that she was left "dazed" and looking for a friend after the attack, telling the jury: "It was almost like watching a film of something happening to you." She said at the time she did not realise forced oral sex would be classed as rape, and told the court she wanted to speak out about the incident – but needed other women to come forward first.
Cross-Examination and Denials
When asked by Mr Winter why she felt shame, she replied: "That's the default that women are made to feel. You're made to feel that it's your fault because of what you're wearing or whatever reasons a man thinks he can do things to you against your will."
The barrister pointed out that she had not spoken to police during the #MeToo movement, which started in 2016, when he said "every woman in the world was examining whether she had been sexually assaulted by a famous person?" After prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC objected to the question and the judge agreed that the proposition was very sweeping, the woman replied: "I was hoping somebody else would come forward. I didn't want to be the first person to do that. When you're one little voice, you're not sure if you're going to be heard or believed."
Mr Winter suggested during cross-examination that Brand and the woman went to the toilet consensually for a "kiss and a cuddle", but abandoned the attempt to have a sexual encounter because of the filthy state of the flooded toilet.
After the alleged rape, the woman said she was "shepherded" to the back of a car heading to an after-party in Camden, and then found herself sitting next to Brand. She claims Brand then exposed himself to her and suggested she perform oral sex again, but when she said no he accepted her decision. Mr Winter suggested Brand had not exposed himself, but also told jurors that the comedian has no memory of the incident.
Court Proceedings Continue
The woman told the court she was "absolutely appalled" when Brand was rehired by MTV in 2006, around two years after the bar incident. She said she had told a colleague at the time about her encounter with Brand, dubbing him a "sexual predator".
She also gave evidence that she had told a version of the story to friends and family over the years prior to speaking to police in 2023, in which she said there had been an incident but she got away before being raped. "I wanted to change the narrative so I wasn't a victim in my head," she said.
Brand denies all seven charges. The trial continues.
