Russell Brand has arrived at Southwark Crown Court for the third day of his rape and sexual assault trial. The 51-year-old stepped out of a vehicle accompanied by his wife Laura Gallacher before entering the court, where he faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six different women. The alleged offences took place between 1999 and 2009. Brand denies all charges.
First alleged victim testifies
His arrival on Friday morning came a day after his first alleged rape victim gave evidence from the witness stand. She claims the then little-known comic attacked her after they met at a fringe event at the 1999 Labour Party conference.
She told the court how she felt there was no way to escape when he attacked her in a hotel room in Bournemouth, after she invited him to her room to talk about putting on a political play. She alleged that once inside, he switched persona and attacked her despite her pleas to stop.
Emotional testimony
Giving emotional testimony from behind a screen, the woman said: “I had nowhere to run. I didn’t feel I could. He’s a big guy. I was in shock.” She described how Brand stripped to the waist and performed a Basil Fawlty-style funny walk before the atmosphere darkened. She said: “He just changed suddenly from camp, friendly and effeminate to monster-like. I felt frightened.”
She claimed Brand ordered her to take photographs of him, saying: “He asked me to take pictures and I did what he asked. I was terrified.” She added: “How could I stop him? He’s there, he’s intimidating. He’s a completely different persona. I’m tiny, I didn’t think I could fight him.”
Alleged attack details
The woman claimed that while she was taking photos, Brand pushed her onto the bed before straddling her. She alleged he told her to relax and said: “Just let yourself enjoy it. Don’t worry about shame and reputation.” But she added: “I didn’t want it. I said ‘no, what are you doing, no’. He knew I didn’t want it, he knew. At that point he didn’t really care.”
She said she tried to push him away: “I didn’t want him to kiss me, I didn’t want contact. It was horrible. I felt dirty, I felt like I was choking. I didn’t want sex.” The woman said she had been raped before but thought Brand was gay and felt safe to invite him to her room. She added: “He disarmed me into thinking I was safe. It is a grooming process, it’s just very quick, very fast.”
The woman said she now believes Brand exploited her by pretending to help with a political project: “He had no intention of helping. He was just there for sex.” She described finding his body “snake-like and disgusting” and said after the alleged attack, Brand said he needed to see his mum and wrote his email down on paper. She told police she broke down in tears after he left.
Previous evidence
The court previously heard from an ex-friend of Brand, Mark Pinheiro, who told the jury how Brand admitted to having sex with a woman at the event and said: “I think I may have gone a bit too far”. Pinheiro also said Brand bragged about being “an expert pick-up artist” who wanted to bed 5,000 women. Another friend said of Brand: “Women and sex were a goal and an obsession.”
The trial continues.
