Image source, ReutersBySima Kotecha and Helena Wilkinson, Reporting fromSouthwark Crown Court- Published5 minutes ago
Warning - this report contains graphic content
A woman who alleges Russell Brand raped her in a hotel has said she was left feeling "dirty" and afraid she may be pregnant in the aftermath of the alleged attack.
The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces seven charges - three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.
The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. He denies the charges.
Video evidence played to the jury on Thursday showed one of his complainants tell the police: "He raped me basically and I know that happened."
The jury heard one of Brand's accusers say she had met him in 1999, before he was famous.
The woman was heard speaking in a police interview recorded in 2023, when reporting the alleged crime.
She said she had attended the Labour Party conference and went to a fringe event where she said she spoke to Brand. She alleges he later raped her.
The complainant said they had both gone back to a hotel room. 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".
Image source, Julia QuenzlerImage caption, During the video evidence, Russell Brand watched the tv screen attached to the dock - rarely taking his eyes away
She said she had been in the bathroom, but when she came out "he had like briefs on - and I was like taken aback and shocked. He was prancing around".
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 told the officer: "I'm reporting that Russell Brand did rape me.
"What I'm going to say now – then, I second guessed myself if it was rape because it was so normal.
"Sorry... he raped me basically – I know that happened. I remember him touching my breasts a lot - while kissing my neck."
The woman recounted how Brand acted "like Basil Fawlty when he does his goose steps" before the alleged rape.
She told the officer: "I remember him being like an ostrich – like a bird because he was very leggy.
"I wasn't laughing, I just remember him jumping up and down being silly."
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."
At one point in the police interview, she cried while saying "this was something dirty that had happened".
She said she "thought it was my fault", adding that she was "having nightmares" about the possibility of being pregnant.
Fame Under Fire: Russell Brand on Trial
You can follow the trial day by day on the BBC podcast Fame Under Fire: Russell Brand on Trial - available on BBC Sounds, YouTube, iPlayer, or wherever you get your BBC podcasts
Listen on SoundsDuring the video evidence, Brand watched the TV screen attached to the dock - rarely taking his eyes away. He appeared to be listening attentively and hardly moved his position throughout.
The complainant said she delayed coming forward because she was worried it would impact her professional life. "I was told if you come out with this, your career is done".
Russell Brand denies all the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
He has said that any sexual contact if it happened, would have been consensual.
The trial continues and is expected to last for six weeks.
Brand rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations including BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.
He went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek. In recent years, he has turned to podcasting and now lives in Florida in the United States.
