Andrew Sachs's granddaughter Georgina Baillie wrote a glowing character reference for Russell Brand, telling a judge he was "always lovely" and someone who "understood and respected boundaries", as he was about to be jailed for rape and sexual assault.
The disgraced TV star and comedian was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three TV and radio workers during his rise to international fame following a four-week rape trial.
Character reference presented to judge
It has now been revealed that Georgina Baillie penned the reference, which was presented to Mr Justice Bennathan at his sentencing hearing on Monday (November 10), days after a jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, while he was found not guilty of two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
The Press Association has obtained the letter, in which she called the comedian an "unabashed womaniser" as well as "always lovely" and someone she trusted to tell the truth.
She told the judge that she and Brand met in 2006, they had around 12 "casual sexual encounters" over the course of a year, and she wrote: "Russell never behaved aggressively, coercively or without regard to my wishes. in my experience, he was someone who understood and respected boundaries."
Baillie at centre of Sachsgate scandal
Ms Baillie, an artist and art therapist, is the granddaughter of the late Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, and she was at the centre of the 2008 Sachsgate scandal which led to Brand being sacked from his BBC Radio 2 show.
Brand, with Jonathan Ross, rang Mr Sachs and left him four voicemails with details of his sexual relationship with Ms Baillie, in an incident that was subsequently aired on Brand's radio show.
Ms 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". She complained in her statement of being "vilified in the press and cast as some sort of immoral witch" after the scandal broke, and told the judge Brand had later paid for her to go to rehab as she battled alcohol addiction.
"Everything between us was consensual and Russell never asked me to do anything I did not want to do," she wrote, of their relationship. "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."
Judge calls Brand 'staggeringly arrogant'
She said she "grew fond" of Brand and called him a "genuinely nice person to me". She added: "He was very quick-witted and could talk or argue with his own shadow, but could also be thoughtful, reserved and contemplative. 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. In the world that he occupied, it was impossible to succeed without a bucket-loads of self-belief and drive. He was very talented and that talent brought him fame, fortune and success.
He was not everybody's cup of tea, his comedy was often cutting, shocking or crass but for me he was exceptional and he was widely adored. At height of his fame, Russell's public reputation was as an unabashed womaniser and he was in many ways deified for it.
"My friends and I adored him and were excited and intrigued by him. He was different. And in return to me and my friends, he was always lovely. I never knew Russell to be dishonest in his dealings with me. I regarded him as truthful and reliable and I still do Russell never behaved aggressively, coercively or without regard to my wishes.
"In my experience, he was someone who understood and respected boundaries."
Concluding her statement, Ms Baillie referenced the Sachsgate scandal and 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."
Passing sentence, the judge called Brand "staggeringly arrogant", and said that he had sexually assaulted women while believing that his fame and status would allow him to get away with it.
The Press Association has also obtained the five other character references that Brand's legal team relied on while arguing for a lighter sentence during Monday's hearing. The judge approved the release of the character references, having read them all before he passed sentence. They all wrote that they knew about Brand's crimes before deciding to support him.
The Metropolitan Police has said it has received more complaints about Brand since the trial began, two allegations of rape were made before the trial, and the force is assessing with the CPS whether to bring further charges.
