Georgina Baillie, Russell Brand's former girlfriend, has said she is “shocked” after the comedian was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, adding that she barely recognises the man she once knew. Speaking to 5 News, she said she was struggling to reconcile the man she remembered with the convicted sex offender, insisting he had once been a kind person who helped save her life.
Ms Baillie, who was at the centre of the “Sachsgate” scandal in 2008, said she found it difficult to associate Brand with the allegations because he had previously treated her well. She told 5 News: “I just found it really, really tricky to associate him with any form of aggression toward a girl because he worshipped girls. Any woman who has been abused in any way deserves some listening time.”
A Complicated Past
Ms Baillie said Brand had helped her overcome addiction by getting her into rehabilitation, but stressed that his previous kindness should not excuse any wrongdoing. She said: “It's really sad, you know, because I thought he was not like that, and it's really hard to let go of the need for someone to be on that pedestal in your memory, because he saved my life. I'll be honest, if I didn't go to rehab, then I'd probably be dead. So I owe my life to him for that.”
She added: “The most important thing is to admit your mistakes and correct them as much as you can. Now, if they've proven that he's done the things, even some of the things, that's what needs to happen. He needs to make the amends.”
Verdict and Sentencing
Brand was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women following a four-week trial. The 51-year-old was cleared of two further rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Monday, November 9.
Asked whether she had seen warning signs during their relationship, Ms Baillie said she had been too young to understand what was happening around her. She said: “I was 20 years old myself, 20 to 22-ish, and I didn't know what was going, what was happening around me.”
Industry and Accountability
Ms Baillie also suggested Brand's public persona as a self-confessed sex addict had been encouraged by an entertainment industry which rewarded his outrageous behaviour. She said: “A lot of people made money off of the fact that he was a sex addict. He went on stage, said the most vulgar stuff that everybody laughed at. It was a time where that behaviour was rewarded.”
She said she had to be honest about what she knew, rather than make assumptions about allegations involving other women. She added: “When I'm asked, did he rape me or did he abuse me? I have to tell the truth because in recovery, you can only tell the truth about what you know. My side of the street. That's the truth.”
Reflecting on the verdict, she said she was angry and shocked but wanted Brand to accept responsibility. She said: “I don't know if I'd say it was sympathy. I would just say, do the right thing, because I'm shocked. I really am. He's so far away from the guy that I know. But if it's been proven in a court of law, go and do your amends to these other girls.”
She said she was particularly concerned for the women who had come forward, adding that she hoped they would be able to recover from their experiences. “I'm really sad that he's been found guilty because I really thought that I had a better judge of character than this,” she said. “But I am open-minded enough to know that I can be wrong. I'm okay with being wrong. I really hope that they can find some healing. I just want him to tell the truth.”
The verdict comes 18 years after Brand and fellow presenter Jonathan Ross became embroiled in the scandal which brought their BBC careers crashing down. In October 2008, the pair left a series of lewd messages on the answering machine of Ms Baillie's grandfather, actor Andrew Sachs, after he failed to answer a call during a recording of Brand's Radio 2 show. Ross shouted: “He f***ed your granddaughter”, referring to Brand's previous relationship with Ms Baillie. Brand then made a series of further crude remarks, including singing an improvised apology in which he joked about having sex with her.
The messages were broadcast on October 18, prompting an enormous public backlash, thousands of complaints and an Ofcom investigation. Brand resigned from his Radio 2 show, while Ross was suspended by the BBC for 12 weeks. Ms Baillie, then 23, publicly condemned the pair's behaviour and demanded that they be sacked. She later revealed that Brand had helped pay for her rehabilitation treatment, a fact which has complicated her feelings towards him.
