Russell Brand's former personal assistant told a court she saw women being mistreated by the comedian and quit working for him when she was "sick of him". Helen Berger worked closely with Brand from June 2006 to February 2007, when he was a star of MTV, Channel 4, and BBC, while writing a book and performing his stand-up to sell-out crowds.
She told Southwark Crown Court that "peacock" Brand found random women online to satisfy his "insane sexual appetite", but sex often made him depressed. In a statement to Brand's rape and sexual assault trial, Ms Berger said she saw him "treat women poorly", and accused those close to him of "normalising bad behaviour".
Assistant describes working conditions
Ms Berger said in a statement read to Southwark Crown Court: "Though I've worked with a lot of celebrities before and seen a lot of people normalising bad behaviour, this was on another level." She said "normalising and dismissing Russell's behaviour made me think: 'This is just the way it is here'."
Ms Berger said Brand had "an insane sexual appetite and was sleeping with people day and night", and she recalled the comedian "getting antsy" when they were on deadlines, joking: "May I go and have sex now?"
Ms Berger told the court she worked for Brand through his agent, John Noel, and would often be called on to go to the comedian's flat in Camden, north London. She said: "I worked a lot and was exhausted, emotional, and it was a lot to deal with. I always had to manage my emotions around him. He had an insane sexual appetite and was sleeping with people day and night. He was very open about what his needs were, we didn't have a specific conversation about it."
Interviews and encounters
Ms Berger said part of her job was to review Brand's press coverage, including interviews where he had talked openly about his sexual encounters and desires. She said: "He never seemed happy after sex, more so depressed."
She told the court Brand used MySpace to find women for sex, and said: "At his house, women often came over and it was clear they were there for sex." She remembers once finding a female celebrity asleep in Brand's bed while he was wandering around the house half-dressed, and said of the comedian: "He was like a peacock, women would always approach him."
Ms Berger said she was instructed to get phone numbers for Brand from female fans when she first started working with him. But she said she "felt uncomfortable" and, after seeking advice, she told Brand that she would not do that anymore.
Trial continues
Ms Berger also recalled seeing Brand dismiss a woman he was chatting to at a party as soon as he realised she was in a relationship. She said: "He turned in a way that really startled me. He literally switched off his charm and moved on to the next woman."
Ending her statement, Ms Berger said she quit the job after nine months when she was "sick of him and feeling burned out". Brand is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one charge of indecent assault. He denies all the charges.
Mr Justice Bennathan told jurors this morning that the prosecution case has nearly finished, and they will start to hear the defence case tomorrow. The trial continues.
