Jemima Goldsmith, the socialite who dated Russell Brand, has publicly accused the disgraced entertainer of "violence, coercive control and abuse," more than a decade after the pair jointly obtained an injunction against a woman who accused him of assault.
Goldsmith, now 52, and Brand were together until September 2014, having first been linked in September 2013. Following their split, they successfully sought a gagging order against massage therapist Szilvia Berki, who claimed Brand assaulted her.
Injunction details surface during trial
The injunction prevents Berki from ever speaking out or making "any allegation or insinuation" that either Brand or Goldsmith had "committed any criminal offence against her" or displayed any behaviour "which may amount to a criminal offence." She was also ordered to pay Brand £50,000.
The details of the injunction resurfaced online during Brand's trial, which culminated in him being sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison for rape and sexual assault.
Goldsmith speaks out on X
Goldsmith, who recently married, took to X to explain her side of events. She claimed she had "no choice" other than to speak out "given the misleading reports and speculation around the facts of a harassment injunction that was taken out to protect me and my family."
The lengthy post insisted she has "always been strongly and unequivocally on the side of all of Brand's victims." She wrote: "I am in awe of the courageous women who came forward at Brand's trial, told their stories, testified and ensured justice was done."
Allegations of abuse and police call
Goldsmith added that she too had been a victim of Brand's abuse. "I have had my own personal experience of his violence, coercive control and abuse. I had to call the police to have him removed from my house in 2014 during a violent incident," she noted.
"I chose not to press charges at the time and not to go public with this, as I was worried about the impact of the press attention on my then teenage children. I have neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014."
The post continued: "Whilst my pain in relation to this pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered, this was a difficult period in my life which has had a lasting impact."
Defence of the injunction
Despite this, Goldsmith insisted the injunction was warranted and that she suffered "oppressive and unacceptable" harassment from Berki. "The background to this is that Ms Berki came to my house for roughly 30 minutes in June 2014, after I booked her to give a massage to Brand. By the time she arrived, he had decided he didn't want a massage and asked her to leave."
"She was clearly offended. I was present the whole time he was with her, and I did not see anything untoward...If I saw any man abuse any woman under any circumstances, I would do my utmost to stop them, without hesitation," she insisted.
Goldsmith explained that Berki had subsequently reported them both to the police, claiming Brand had "pushed her in the back" as she left, and that the socialite's dog also attacked her. The police investigated the allegations and found no case to answer. Goldsmith says "at no time did Ms Berki ever state to them that she had been assaulted, threatened or falsely imprisoned."
Harassment and legal moves
Despite this, Goldsmith said numerous stories about her began appearing in the press, and she was subjected to "vicious antisemitic and threatening abuse online and in emails." She shared messages which she said were emails from Berki containing vile slurs. According to Goldsmith, Berki was also corresponding with her family, friends, and the organisations she was involved with.
Goldsmith claims this was why she agreed to the harassment order, as she wanted to "stop Ms Berki targeting me and my family." She stated she was not in touch with Brand at the time and only dealt with his lawyer even though it was awarded to both of them.
Although the injunction has been upheld "by the High Court and Court of Appeal on several occasions," Goldsmith claims last December she agreed to "vary the injunction so that she could speak to the police again if she wanted to," despite fearing Berki may begin harassing her again.
"Her barrister has not responded to my lawyer since May of this year despite trying to engage him. I was informed by her lawyer that any change to the injunction must also be agreed by Brand. I have no ability to compel Brand in this matter, as I have not seen or spoken to him in over a decade," she stated.
Goldsmith concluded: "I hope this information will help clarify speculation about my involvement in the anti-harassment order. I am glad and relieved that Russell Brand has finally faced justice."
