Brand jury hears accuser’s account of pregnancy fears after alleged rape

A woman accusing Russell Brand of rape said she had nightmares about the possibility of becoming pregnant after an alleged attack in 1999, a recorded police interview played to jurors at his trial on Thursday showed. Brand denies the allegation. [2]

The interview, recorded on 27 September 2023, was played at Southwark Crown Court. The woman told detectives that Brand had raped her in a Bournemouth hotel room after they met at an event during the Labour Party conference. “I know I said no,” she said. [2]

Later, in live cross-examination, Brand’s lawyer Ian Winter KC suggested that she had let Brand persuade her to have sex. “I did not,” she replied. When the defence challenged her account of saying no, she repeated: “I did say no.” [3]

Brand faces seven charges concerning six women: three of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The alleged offences span 1999 to 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to every charge, and the trial continues. [2]