A former MTV employee told a London court on Friday that Russell Brand abruptly transformed into a “wild-eyed maniac” and attempted to drag her into a men’s restroom in 2001.
Testifying from behind a screen at Southwark Crown Court, the second complainant in Brand’s criminal trial said the encounter began with lighthearted banter about the comedian’s T-shirt before turning physical when she offered to show him the way to the facilities. Brand, 51, is charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Witness describes sudden shift in demeanor
The woman testified that she had been having cheerful conversation with Brand at MTV’s London offices before his demeanor suddenly changed. According to her testimony, Brand gripped her forearm tightly and urged her to enter the restroom with him, Variety reported.
“I said to him: ‘What are you doing? Are you mad? Let me go.’ Then he started to plead, almost ‘go on, go on, come in’,” the woman told the court, as reported by The Guardian. She stated that she had to exert significant effort to pull herself away during the struggle, which lasted roughly 20 seconds, before calling him an idiot as he gave up.
The witness said she alerted two co-workers shortly after the incident but did not report it to MTV management or police at the time because Brand was a prominent television asset and she feared she would not be believed. She decided to contact law enforcement only after viewing a 2023 documentary examining sexual misconduct claims against the performer, Deadline reported.
Defense suggests consensual invitation
During cross-examination, defense barrister Ian Winter KC suggested that Brand had simply extended an invitation for a consensual encounter and questioned whether media coverage had altered the woman’s memory of events. The complainant rejected both suggestions, telling the court that pulling someone forcefully by the arm is not an invitation.
“He didn’t manage to rape me,” she told jurors, adding that she considered herself fortunate to escape without physical harm, according to The Guardian. Under British legal standards, complainants in sexual offense trials receive automatic lifelong anonymity.
Earlier Friday, jurors heard additional evidence related to the trial’s first complainant, who alleges Brand raped her in 1999 following a cabaret performance during the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. Andrew Dobson, Brand’s former flatmate who composed music for that production, testified that sex was a primary preoccupation for the comedian at the time. Dobson recalled an atmosphere of tension and sudden urgency to depart their shared lodgings the morning after the alleged Bournemouth assault.
John Rogers, who wrote the 1999 play, also gave evidence, telling jurors that Brand appeared flustered when recounting a personal encounter from that week.
Brand arrived at court accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher, telling reporters outside that the proceedings were stressful but expressing hope for truth and justice, Variety reported. The trial is scheduled to run for roughly six weeks as prosecutors continue calling witnesses and presenting evidence regarding the six accusers.
