Russell Brand trial hears woman’s account of alleged rape in 2009

A woman alleged that Russell Brand raped her in 2009 and ignored her requests to stop, in a recorded police interview played to jurors at Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday. Her account is part of a trial in which Brand faces seven sexual offence charges involving six women. He denies them all. [2] [3]

She said she met Brand after one of his shows and later willingly went to his home to have sex. During sex, she said, he penetrated her anally without warning or her consent and continued despite her telling him to stop. “It’s something that has lived with me ever since,” she said in the interview, according to Reuters. “I blamed myself for years.” [2]

Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The alleged offences span 1999 to 2009. He told police after his arrest that he had never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity and suggested the accusers might have reimagined events. [2] [3]

Jurors also heard from a former Choice FM worker, who alleged that Brand grabbed and kissed her at the radio station in the mid-2000s. A woman who worked at Channel 4 described a separate alleged assault during a recording project. The trial is due to continue on Wednesday. [2] [3] [4]