Mia Latter waives anonymity over Russell Brand rape allegation, calls for law change
Mia Latter, 37, has gone public with her claim that Russell Brand raped her when she was 16. The Metropolitan Police say the investigation remains ongoing.
Woman named as Russell Brand rape accuser goes public, urges staggered age of consent
A woman who alleged she was raped by Russell Brand when she was 16 years old has waived her lifelong right to anonymity and identified herself publicly for the first time, the Evening Standard reports.
Mia Latter, now 37, says she was orally raped by the convicted comedian towards the end of a three-month relationship that began when she was a schoolgirl and Brand was 30. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they launched an investigation in January 2026 after receiving the allegation, and said the inquiry remains ongoing.
Latter had previously been referred to under the pseudonym "Alice" in reporting by the Sunday Times, The Times, and in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary. She chose to reveal her identity in an interview with the Sunday Times, stating she hopes to campaign for a change in the law to protect teenagers from grooming.
A campaign for a staggered age of consent
Central to Latter's decision to go public is her call for a staggered age of consent — a legal framework that would make sexual relationships between adults and teenagers aged 16 or 17 illegal. She told the Sunday Times: "It's shocking to me time and time again that whenever the news comes up again about him, it's always in the comments about the relationship with a 16-year-old. That's not the most heinous bit. But why is that the thing that everybody collectively gets stuck on? I think we all sort of agree that … adults shouldn't be allowed to have sexual relationships with children, with somebody under the age of 18. That really doesn't seem like a gigantic leap to take."
She was 16 when she first encountered Brand at Leicester Square in central London, while returning home from a shopping trip. Brand, who was working at MTV at the time, took her number and subsequently messaged her to arrange dinner. Latter told the newspaper that Brand continued to pursue contact even after she had disclosed her age to him. He instructed her to keep their relationship secret from her school friends, though his entourage were aware — with Brand reportedly referring to her as "the child" in front of them.
Excluded from Brand's trial at Southwark Crown Court
Latter spoke to police following the Channel 4 documentary, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to include her case in Brand's trial at Southwark Crown Court. She described her reaction as one of devastation.
"They [the police] wanted me to be part of a subsequent trial, but they said that the decision was made [not to include her in the first trial] after he had done the Megyn Kelly and the Piers Morgan interviews," she told the newspaper. "I was told that I wasn't actually going to make it to the October trial because… they didn't want it to become 'the Alice show', which was my pseudonym in the article. I was devastated by it."
In an interview with conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly earlier this year, Brand acknowledged he had slept with a 16-year-old when he was 30, describing himself as an "immature 30-year-old" and stating that consensual sex involving a power imbalance — such as celebrity status — "involves exploitation". He addressed those comments again during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Latter said she accepts the police secured justice for some of the women involved in the broader case, adding that "a lot of incredible police work has gone into this", but described the criminal process itself as "criminalising".
"I just don't know what capacity I have"
Latter told the Sunday Times she has decided not to continue with the criminal process so she can direct her energy toward her campaign. "I just don't know what capacity I have to give years more of my life to this, for my head to be occupied with these awful crimes," she said. "And it takes a toll on your personal life, on your marriage. I feel as though I haven't been the world's greatest mum at times, because I've been so upset, and I haven't been the greatest daughter [or] sister."
Latter also questioned the disparity in experience and power between herself and Brand at the time. "He was a very successful man who had a lot of power and sway in the industry. Whereas I was a 16-year-old with no life experience, no sexual experience and no prior relationships. What was my level of maturity meant to be?" she told the newspaper.
Police investigation ongoing
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said detectives had sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service on how to proceed, and were advised that further information was needed before a charging decision could be made. "This investigation remains ongoing. We understand the delay has been distressing for this victim-survivor. However, our focus has been on putting forward the best possible evidence," the spokesperson said. The CPS has been approached for comment.
Brand was convicted of attacks against four of the six women who gave evidence against him and is currently serving a ten-and-a-half-year prison sentence for one count of rape and three sexual assaults.
Source: Evening Standard