Russell Brand rape trial: woman describes 1999 hotel attack at Labour conference

A woman told detectives Brand said "it's just fun" as he allegedly raped her at the 1999 Labour party conference in Bournemouth. Brand denies all charges.

Jury shown video of alleged rape victim's police interview

A woman has alleged that Russell Brand told her "it's just fun" as he raped her in a hotel room during the 1999 Labour party conference in Bournemouth, The Guardian UK reports. The jury at Southwark Crown Court was shown a video recording of her police interview, conducted on 27 September 2023.

The alleged victim told detectives that Brand made her feel "sick and dirty" throughout the assault, despite her pleading: "Get off me, please stop. It hurts." Brand, 51, watched the footage on one of the courtroom screens during Thursday's hearing.

Brand faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault, and one of indecent assault involving six women. The allegations span a decade, from 1999 to 2009. He denies all charges and has entered a not guilty plea.

'I know I said no'

The woman told police she met Brand at a fringe cabaret event he was performing at during the conference. She was not attracted to the then-unknown performer, whom she assumed was gay and who had been showering her with compliments. She described him nonetheless as polite and intelligent, and the two spoke about their work before returning to her hotel room to continue the conversation.

When she came back from the bathroom, she said she "froze": Brand was partly naked and "prancing around" like an ostrich. He had also asked her to photograph him. When she questioned why he had undressed, he told her: "Don't worry, I'm mostly naked at home."

She alleged he then raped her in an attack lasting up to ten minutes, leaving her frightened, in pain, and unable to breathe.

"He did rape, he did push me on the bed," she told police. "He did pull my clothes off, he took my trousers off. I remember him on me, very heavy. I know I said no. I kind of drifted out of my head. I couldn't get out of the situation — 'do I shout, do I scream?' He was very heavy, I couldn't breathe, it didn't take long."

She described his body as snake-like and "disgusting", and said his tongue was "horrible" like a lizard.

'It's all good, don't worry about it'

The woman said she closed her eyes during the attack and hoped it would end quickly. She recalled that Brand made repeated noises of enjoyment and complimented her appearance, asking: "Are you enjoying it?" She told police she did not answer.

She alleged that Brand spoke throughout the assault to minimise what was happening: "He was just saying: 'We're having fun, it's fine, it's all good, don't worry about it, it's just fun, it's normal.'"

The woman, who had previously experienced abuse, said Brand's remarks caused her to draw comparisons with past incidents, and the words "stuck in her head". She told police: "It was almost like to convince me it's all OK and that I'd enjoy it, that I'd have to learn to enjoy it."

Aftermath: nightmares and years of silence

In the immediate aftermath, she said Brand acted "like nothing was wrong", wrote down his email address, and suggested his mother might like to meet her. The following morning, she banged her head against the wall, telling police she felt numb.

She said she suffered recurring nightmares about becoming pregnant and kept the incident to herself for years as she watched Brand grow "more and more famous". A 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary examining allegations of sexual misconduct by Brand, she said, "triggered" her to go to police.

Brand denies all the allegations. The trial continues.

Source: The Guardian UK