Former assistant’s statement describes Brand’s request for female fans’ phone numbers

A statement from Russell Brand’s former personal assistant was read to the jury at Southwark Crown Court on Monday 26 October. Helen Berger said Brand had asked her to collect phone numbers from female fans while filming for MTV. She found the request uncomfortable and later told him she would not do it again.

Berger, who worked for Brand from June 2006 to February 2007, said she had seen him treat women poorly. She also described how others dismissed his behaviour. But she said: “I never witnessed Russell doing anything against the law.” Her account of the phone-number request did not describe her witnessing any of the offences at issue in the trial.

Brand, 51, faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The allegations involve six women and concern events between 1999 and 2009. He denies all seven charges. His defence says any sexual activity was consensual and argues that accounts were distorted following a 2023 television documentary alleging sexual abuse. The trial continues.