Suzi Dent, who gave evidence against Rolf Harris at his 2014 trial, has described the intense pressure of testifying in a celebrity case and what the women involved in the Russell Brand trial may be experiencing.
Dent, a former television makeup artist, flew from Australia to testify at Southwark Crown Court. To protect her anonymity, she was smuggled into the courthouse through an underground entrance, driven into a secluded parking area, and taken up back stairs to a private room.
Just before entering the courtroom, she was moved into a broom cupboard beside the doors. Dent noted the irony: decades earlier, after Harris sexually assaulted her, she had hidden in a cupboard to avoid being alone with him again.
Preparing for a Celebrity Trial
Dent said nobody really tells you how to prepare emotionally for giving evidence, particularly when describing something deeply personal. When the person you are giving evidence against is famous, there is another layer of pressure.
She reflected on the women involved in the Russell Brand case, wondering how they prepare to walk into a courtroom knowing there is an enormous public audience following the case, with people who may already have strong opinions about the man they are testifying against.
At lunchtime before her testimony, a court official showed Dent around the empty courtroom. There were microphones everywhere, many embedded in the floor and fittings, and positioned around the chairs. She saw the enormous glass-enclosed dock where Harris would be sitting.
Cross-Examination and Public Scrutiny
Dent was one of the bad-character witnesses in the trial, supporting the prosecution's case involving other women. She had been advised not to look at Harris while giving evidence, so she kept her eyes on the judge, jury, and barristers.
Cross-examination was intimidating. At one point, she found herself explaining her underwear to the jury, describing an early version of a G-string with elastic sitting high above her hips, because Harris had repeatedly shoved his hands up the sides of her shorts.
Then the female defence barrister said: "I put it to you that you are lying." Dent said she had travelled halfway around the world to tell the truth and was now being called a liar.
After stepping off the stand, Dent fixed her eyes on Harris and walked down the aisle glaring at him. He turned his entire body away from her in his swivel chair and would not meet her eyes.
Impact on Victims
Dent later read comments accusing women of lying, wanting money, and trying to destroy a beloved entertainer. She said giving evidence does not necessarily end when you leave the courtroom.
Brand's rape victim said in her impact statement that she found the trial "extremely difficult" knowing that her family had "suffered alongside" her. She told the court: "I have also found it upsetting to the suggestions that I was merely an obsessive fan."
A former MTV worker groped by Brand in a Soho bar delivered her victim impact statement live behind a screen, telling the judge she suffered a panic attack after seeing reports of her evidence at trial. She said there had been "accusations and death threats from manic supporters of him on social media."
A Channel 4 worker sexually assaulted by Brand said she felt "powerless" during the incident and struggled to trust colleagues in the years that followed. A radio worker assaulted by Brand in 2005 told the court she almost withdrew her allegation over the emotional strain.
Dent said having people around you who listen, respect your privacy, and offer support can make an enormous difference for anyone giving evidence in such a case. "We can't change what happened to them. But we can change how we listen," she wrote.
