Russell Brand stripped half-naked and performed silly walks "like Basil Fawlty" before raping a woman he met at the Labour Party conference, a court has heard.
The comedian and actor is currently on trial at Southwark Crown Court, where prosecutors have set out their case against the 51-year-old, who has been charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault.
Brand has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which span from 1999 to 2009 and relate to six women.
Prosecution reads alleged victim's statement
According to the BBC, Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC read out the statement of one alleged victim, who remains anonymous, and was in her 20s when the alleged offence of rape took place.
Describing how the complainant says Brand first approached her, the prosecution told the court: "He was very polite, courteous and complimentary about her, saying she was pretty, always in a gentlemanly way, and she was flattered.
"But at that point, she assumed he was gay; he gave no indication of being attracted to her."
Speaking about the woman's alleged interaction with Brand in 1999, the prosecution told the court she says she went to the bathroom to use the lavatory, inviting him to make himself a cup of tea while she was out of the room.
"When she emerged from the lavatory, the defendant was partially undressed, he had removed his top, his chest was naked."
The prosecution continued: "She asked him why he had taken his clothes off, and he said something along the lines of: 'It's okay, it's just how I am, don't worry … I'm mostly naked at home.'"
Alleged behaviour described in court
The prosecutor, Ms Karmy-Jones told the court the first complainant says she came out of the bathroom to see Brand "partially naked".
Referring to the complainant, the prosecutor alleged: "Perhaps some of her confusion can be explained by how the defendant was behaving, because as she came out of the bathroom, he was prancing around the room, a bit like an ostrich, doing silly walks like Basil Fawlty."
"She was taken aback, she was shocked and didn't really know what to do, and in her words, she froze a bit," said the prosecutor.
Outlining the first allegation, the prosecutor said the first complainant "described drifting out of her head, knowing there was nothing she could do, as he pulled her trousers and underwear down, penetrated her vagina with his penis, raping her".
Complainant 'tried to block the incident out'
Prosecuting barrister Riel Karmy-Jones KC said that the first complainant "tried to block the incident out", and that it was in the early 2000s when she saw Russell Brand on television and recognised him.
Ms Karmy-Jones said the complainant didn't say anything because of Brand's "celebrity status" and "the many positive things that were said by others about him".
The barrister claimed this was "a strategic decision" which the complainant "now greatly regrets".
As Brand arrived at Southwark Crown Court with his wife on Wednesday, he said: "Today I feel blessed, I feel of course concerned, but hopeful that this process will lead to good outcomes for everybody involved.
That's my prayer."
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
