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Woman Alleges Russell Brand Raped Her After Cabaret Show

1:13 PM ETConfirmed

Entertainment Desk

In Short: A woman has alleged that Russell Brand raped her in a hotel room after a cabaret show at a Labour Party conference in 1999.

A woman has alleged that Russell Brand raped her in a hotel room after a cabaret show at a Labour Party conference in 1999. She told police she met Brand before he was famous while attending the conference in Bournemouth.

According to her account, she watched Brand perform in a cabaret event and suggested he come back to her hotel room after the show, as she did not wish to go to a bar or club.

The woman recalled Brand being polite, courteous, and attentive during their interaction, but she said he became aggressive and pushed her until he ejaculated.

She said Brand told her he gets tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases after the alleged incident.

The woman did not report the alleged incident at the time, fearing she would be told, 'What did you expect?' after inviting him back to her hotel room.

In a 2023 interview, the woman broke down in tears as she recalled feeling frightened of Brand when they were alone together in the hotel room.

The woman said a 2023 Dispatches documentary about allegations of sexual misconduct by Brand 'triggered' her to go to the police.

Brand's former flatmate Mark Pinheiro told jurors that he recalled the comedian 'boasting' about sex and having an ambition to sleep with 5,000 women.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC called Brand a 'sexual predator' who was 'ruthless, calculated, and manipulative' towards women.

The woman told police she kept quiet about the incident for years as she saw Brand becoming 'more and more famous.'

Brand, who is 51, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court, having denied seven charges, including rapes and sexual assaults against six different women from 1999 to 2009.

The woman told police Brand appeared to have had a 'brilliant time,' showering her with compliments during the incident, and afterwards reassured her about sexually transmitted diseases by saying, 'I go to the clinic a lot, I don’t have any diseases.'

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Opening the case against Brand on Wednesday, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC called him a “sexual predator” who was “ruthless, calculated and manipulative” towards women.
• The alleged victim broke down in tears as she recalled feeling “frightened” of Brand when they were alone together in a hotel room To use the search feature, we need your consent to load Google Custom Search, which may use cookies or similar technologies.
• The woman said a 2023 Dispatches documentary about allegation of sexual misconduct by Brand “triggered” her to go to police.
• She told the officer she thought Brand "was gay" when they met earlier and she didn't feel like he was "trying it on with her".
• The complainant alleged Brand told her: "Don't worry, that's how I am".
• She recalled thinking "what on earth have I got into" when, she claims, a shirtless Brand made her take photos of him before the alleged attack.
• She said she "thought it was my fault", adding that she was "having nightmares" about the possibility of being pregnant.
• "I didn't report it as I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't think anyone would believe me."

What's still developing

• Editor’s note: This story contains details of alleged sexual offenses that some readers may find distressing.
• Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis A woman who says Russell Brand raped her at a Labour Party conference said she was left feeling “dirty” and afraid she may be pregnant in the aftermath of the alleged attack.
• Russell Brand behaved as a “ruthless” sexual predator when he assaulted six women over a decade, a prosecutor said Wednesday, as she opened the rape and sexual assault case against the actor-comedian.
• The prosecutor said the other complainants include a woman who says Brand kissed and groped her at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005, leaving her feeling “dirty and disgusting”; and a then-21-year-old fan who says Brand anally raped her at his home after she met him at one of his shows in 2009.
• As per the latest updates from Hollywood, Russell Brand’s rape and sexual assault trial has begun in the UK, where a prosecutor has accused the actor-comedian of being a “ruthless” sexual predator, allegations he denies.
• They individually went to police after a 2023 television program broadcast anonymous claims against Brand, she said.
• The second alleged incident involves a woman who was working at MTV in 2001, where she claims Brand grabbed her and tried to pull her into a toilet.
• At the start of the proceedings on Thursday, Sky News reported judge Mr Justice Bennathan told the jury that the allegations in the documentary have “never been tested in any court,” but it is relevant to the case since it spurred many of the alleged victims to come forward.
• The fourth allegation occurred at Capital Radio in 2004/2005, where Brand allegedly pushed a woman against a wall and “aggressively” kissed her while grabbing “her body, at her breasts, sides and buttocks,” the prosecution said.
• In 2023, Brand was the subject of a joint investigation by The Sunday Times of London and Channel 4 documentary “Dispatches,” which published allegations against him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.
• The woman said after Brand left the room she was "just sitting there crying and I felt stupid," adding: "In that moment in time I was just shocked."
• The woman recounted how Brand acted "like Basil Fawlty when he does his goose steps" before the alleged rape.

Sources

• Bournemouth Echolink
• Deadlinelink
• Metro.co.uklink
• TMZlink
• The Hollywood Reporterlink
• The Indian Expresslink
• The News Internationallink
• Varietylink
• WarpBeat — background on Russell Brand Faces Rape Allegations in UK Trial link
• WarpBeat — background on Russell Brand Arrives at Court for Rape Trial link
• BBC News — video link