Georgina Baillie, the granddaughter of Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, described Russell Brand as someone who "understood and respected boundaries" in a character reference presented to the judge before the comedian was jailed for rape and sexual assault.
In the letter, obtained by PA, Baillie called Brand an "unabashed womaniser" and "always lovely," and said she trusted him to tell the truth. She told Mr Justice Bennathan at the sentencing hearing on Monday that she and Brand met in 2006 and had around 12 "casual sexual encounters" over a year.
Baillie's account of their relationship
Baillie wrote: "Russell never behaved aggressively, coercively or without regard to my wishes. In my experience, he was someone who understood and respected boundaries." She added: "Everything between us was consensual and Russell never asked me to do anything I did not want to do."
"I was a somewhat wild and free young woman at that time, and I was to some degree in awe of his fame and lifestyle. I was never forced or coerced into anything," she wrote. Baillie said she "grew fond" of Brand and called him a "genuinely nice person to me."
"He was very quick-witted and could talk or argue with his own shadow, but could also be thoughtful, reserved and contemplative," she added. "Like many funny people, he could be very quiet at first but would throw in a joke and have people rolling about laughing. He was intelligent and eloquent, though he could also be immature and he had a large ego."
Context of the Sachsgate scandal
Baillie, an artist and art therapist, was at the centre of the 2008 Sachsgate scandal that led to Brand being sacked from his BBC Radio 2 show. Brand, with Jonathan Ross, rang Mr Sachs and left four voicemails detailing his sexual relationship with Baillie, which were later aired on Brand's radio show. Baillie told the court Brand had left her a voicemail after the incident "suggesting I go to my grandfather's house to delete the message."
In her statement, she complained of being "vilified in the press and cast as some sort of immoral witch" after the scandal broke, and told the judge Brand later paid for her to go to rehab as she battled alcohol addiction. Concluding her statement, she said: "I have perhaps just as good a reason as anyone not to support Russell, but I still choose to support him because of the person I know him to be."
Sentencing and other references
Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted at trial of rape and three counts of sexual assault. A jury found him guilty of forcing a 21-year-old fan into anal sex, groping and kissing a radio station worker, grabbing the breasts of a woman in a bar, and putting his head in the lap of a Channel 4 worker when she had been forced to give him a massage. The judge called Brand "staggeringly arrogant" and said he sexually assaulted women while believing his fame and status would allow him to get away with it.
PA also obtained five other character references used by Brand's legal team. The names were redacted. A friend said Brand paid around £400,000 to send at least 20 people through rehab for alcohol and substance addiction. One person wrote: "I believe his intervention saved my life, and I never forget what he did for me." Brand also received support from residents of the New Era estate in Hackney, whom he helped in 2014 when the estate was bought by a private equity firm. One resident wrote: "I will always be grateful for the kindness, dedication and humanity Russell demonstrated towards us."
The judge approved the release of the character references, having read them all before passing sentence. The Metropolitan Police has said it has received more complaints about Brand since the trial began, with two allegations of rape made before the trial, and the force is assessing with the CPS whether to bring further charges.
