Russell Brand allegedly told a woman 'don't be a spoilsport' as he dragged her into a toilet at a London bar and raped her, a court has heard. The comedian, 51, is accused of orally raping the woman at Nordic Bar in Soho in July 2004, after the pair struck up a conversation at a party.
Woman's account in police interview
In a pre-recorded police interview played to jurors at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, the woman described how Brand's behaviour suddenly changed during what had initially been a perfectly ordinary interaction. 'We had just met and had a brief conversation and he literally grabbed my arms and dragged me into the toilets,' she said. 'I just didn't know what was going on. It happened so fast, he pulled me over.'
She alleged that Brand repeatedly urged her to participate in a sexual act, telling her: 'Come on, come on, don't be a spoilsport,' while pushing her head down. The woman, who is the third complainant to give evidence in Brand's trial, said she had been discussing his appearance on Big Brother moments before the alleged assault.
Sudden change in behaviour
She recalled the star suddenly grabbing her breasts, describing the expression on his face as a 'weird maniacal grin'. 'I remember his big grin and it was like a clown,' she told police. 'From one minute it was a normal conversation, there wasn't any sexual flirting or anything like that.'
She continued: 'He just moved toward me and grabbed both my boobs really quickly and then sort of let go and he then grabbed my arm and just pulled me.' The woman said she was still trying to process what had happened when Brand allegedly forced her into the toilet.
Fear of further assault
'I just remember I felt like a force and every time I tried to move away he was strong, it was forcing me back,' she said. She recalled protesting: 'What are you doing? I don't want to do this.' The woman told police she eventually complied with Brand's demands because she feared he would otherwise assault her further.
'I thought if I just do this he won't try to rape me further,' she said. '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.' At one point, she recalled hearing a man outside the toilet asking whether everything was OK.
Aftermath and reporting
After the alleged assault, the woman said her hands were shaking so badly that she was unable to unlock the door herself. Brand allegedly opened it for her before following her back towards the bar and behaving as though nothing had happened. 'He followed me to the bar and just turned to me and said: "I guess we should swap numbers now,"' she recalled.
'I remember walking around thinking what happened, what should I do with myself?' The woman said she was 'in shock' and 'walking around in a daze'. She also alleged that she was subsequently taken to a car with Brand, where he exposed himself again. 'I looked round and he was looking down at his lap and smiling,' she said. 'I looked down and his penis was out in the car and he said "come on, come on" and I said "no, no", and he then put it away.'
She claimed Brand was 'sort of laughing about it with a weird look on his face'. Afterwards, the woman contacted a male friend and told him that Brand had pulled her into the toilets and tried to make her perform a sexual act. She said her friend responded: 'That's attempted rape.' However, she admitted she had not told him the full extent of what she alleged had happened.
'I didn't tell him everything. I just didn't want to talk about it,' she explained. The woman said she felt 'shame' following the alleged incident and struggled to acknowledge what had happened, even to herself. She told police she eventually came forward after seeing press reports about allegations against Brand, which had made her 'relive it all'.
Brand, who arrived at court on Monday alongside his wife Laura Gallacher, sat still in the dock as the woman's recorded interview was played to jurors. He denies seven charges, including rape and sexual assault, involving six women between 1999 and 2009. His defence has argued that consensual sexual encounters have been reinterpreted by his accusers following the emergence of allegations against him in recent years. The trial continues.
