Russell Brand arrived at Southwark Crown Court this morning for the latest day of his trial on charges of rape and sexual assault. The 51-year-old wore sunglasses, a black coat and a long white scarf tied loosely around his neck as he emerged from a car.
The court previously heard that the woman at the centre of one allegation said Brand grinned "like a clown" before allegedly attacking her in a locked toilet bar.
Woman's Account of 2004 Alleged Attack
In a police interview shown to jurors yesterday, the woman described what the comedian allegedly did after "dragging" her into a lavatory. She recalled thinking: "Just do what he says and you're out of here and it's done. I just closed my eyes and tried to not be there."
The woman told police that Brand attacked her at a 2004 birthday party in Soho, Central London. She broke down in tears as she described making the decision to complain 19 years later, saying: "I wanted to change the narrative so I wasn't a victim in my head."
Allegations of Groping and Dragging
The woman accused Brand of groping her chest within a minute of them starting a conversation. She said: "He literally grabbed my boobs, out of nowhere, just in the middle of a conversation and I just remember this weird maniacal grin, looming in front of me."
Southwark Crown Court heard the woman recall Brand looking "like a clown, [with] that sort of weird look in the eye". "I was completely in shock and was like 'what the hell are you doing? I've literally just met you'. Then literally he grabbed my arm and dragged me into the toilets."
The woman, who was in her 20s at the time, recalled that the floor of the lavatory was flooded. She alleged Brand told her "don't be a spoilsport" before making her perform a sex act.
Aftermath and Court Evidence
She remembered a man knocking on the toilet door asking: "Are you OK?" She told police: "Russell just sort of casually walked out and unlocked it and I just walked out in a daze. He turned to me and went 'Oh, I guess we should swap numbers now', like it was normal."
The woman said she felt "numb" and walked around the bar trying to find a friend. She claimed she was then ushered into the back of a car with Brand, which had two men in the front seats, before the comic exposed himself to her. The woman later gave evidence from behind a screen.
Ian Winter KC, defending, asked if she had been looking forward to meeting Brand. She said: "I wasn't extremely excited. I wasn't a giddy schoolgirl." She said she was "tipsy" on vodka, lime and sodas but denied going into the toilet voluntarily.
Brand denies three rapes, three sexual assaults and one indecent assault. He says all the sexual encounters were consensual. The trial continues.
