A woman accusing Russell Brand of rape told Southwark Crown Court she "couldn't fight back" as she described the alleged assault in a hotel room. Topless photographs of the comedian, taken by the woman, were shown to the jury during her testimony.
Alleged attack after 1999 conference
The woman, who met Brand at a cabaret show during the 1999 Labour Party conference, said she invited him to her hotel room believing he was gay. She told the court she did not feel able to get away once he allegedly turned on her.
Through tears, she said: "I know he raped me, I know I said: 'No, no, I don't want this. I am the one who is being silenced.'" She told the court she struggled to breathe when Brand was on top of her and added: "I did not want sex from him… I couldn't fight back."
Woman describes feeling like a 'zombie'
The woman said she did not find Brand attractive, telling the court: "I don't love him, I don't find him attractive. Never have." She alleged he told her "it's just fun" during the assault, and described herself as "like a zombie on the bed".
She added: "I couldn't do anything, I just remembered what happened to me before and I blamed myself for letting him in the room. He didn't care. I was hardly doing anything, [I was] like a zombie on the bed. All I could think was the quicker the better, really. I just wanted him out."
The woman said that after the alleged rape, Brand "wanted to get away" as if he had just "got what he wanted." She recalled: "I was relieved, I was not going to stop him. He was saying things like: 'I get tested regularly', there was no love, no kindness, no: 'Are you OK?' None of that, just literally: 'I've got to go and see my mum, she'd love you.'"
Photographs shown to the jury
The court was shown photographs of a topless, youthful-looking Brand with long brown hair, wearing white trousers with a brown belt. In one image he poses with his arms by his sides and his head tilted; in another, his outstretched hand is pointed towards his face with pursed lips, as if blowing a kiss.
The woman said his tone towards her was "flippant", adding: "He just changed suddenly from this… camp, friendly and effeminate to monster like. He was big, I felt threatened and he's half-naked… I didn't think at that point his intentions were good." She described him as "dark and arrogant and performing – he was scary, he was demanding. He was the centre of the show, it was like it was back on stage – he wasn't the (same) person I was chatting to."
In a recorded police interview shown to the jury, the woman said she went to the bathroom in the hotel room and returned to find Brand "there in his briefs". She said he was "prancing around, being silly and then asking me to take pictures of him", and that she felt "frightened". She told the officer: "I remember him being like an ostrich – like a bird because he was very leggy. I wasn't laughing, I just remember him jumping up and down being silly. Almost like Fawlty Towers-esque, like Basil Fawlty when he does his goose steps."
The woman said: "I took pictures of him on my camera, he made me take them. I was frightened. I remember feeling: 'What on earth have I got myself into' and then he did rape me. He pushed me onto the bed. He did take my trousers off."
Brand denies allegations from six different women and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.
