Russell Brand told woman to ‘clean up the mess you made’ after alleged rape, court hears | UK News

A woman said she “couldn’t speak or breathe” when Russell Brand raped her in his London home after picking her out of the crowd after one of his concerts, a court has heard.

She said the comedian looked “horrified” after the alleged attack, so she assumed he would apologize, but instead he told her: “Clean up the mess you made.” »

The woman said she “tortured” herself in the years that followed because it was one of the “most painful experiences” of her life.

Brand, 51, faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women, over allegations spanning 10 years, from 1999 to 2009. He denies all charges and has pleaded not guilty.

The TV personality sat upright in the dock as the woman’s video interview with police was played at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.

The woman told police she was a “huge fan” of Brand and was “giddy” to meet him after one of his stand-up performances at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009.

She alleged he pointed at her and said “you” before inviting her, her friend and a third young woman they did not know to have a drink with him.

Brand’s security guard then invited the trio backstage where the woman performed oral sex on the actor but refused to have penetrative sex. By then, the woman’s friend had left, but Brand had sex on a couch with the third woman, aged 19.

The woman said she felt “horrible” and “disgusting” when she left the dressing room, which is when Brand asked her why she refused to have sex with him. She told him she had a boyfriend, to which he replied: “We don’t belong to anyone, we’re all free, people’s property is kind of what we were sold.” »

Brand asked for her phone number and began messaging and calling her. She said he was “persuasive” about her visiting his three-storey townhouse in Hampstead, northwest London.

Days later, the woman was picked up by Brand’s driver and taken to the star’s home, knowing she would have sex with him. “I really struggled for a very long time to accept what happened to me, because I went there knowingly and willingly,” she said.

She alleged that when she arrived, Brand told her, “This is the best decision you’ve ever made.” But when they went to Brand’s room, he ordered her to take a shower because her hair smelled “funny” and made her brush her teeth.

She said it made her feel “really dirty”, adding: “At the time it was very exciting to go to this person who I really liked and I loved comedy. But all those things didn’t feel so good to me.”

She described her dark bedroom and “huge” bed, as well as the distinctive black toilet paper in her en-suite bathroom. Photos later shown to the jury showed a crucifix above his bed and black furniture.

The woman said they had consensual vaginal sex, but she didn’t enjoy the experience, saying: “It was very awkward. It didn’t matter who I was, and I just wanted it to end.”

Then Brand raped the woman anally, she told police. “He didn’t warn me, he didn’t ask me,” she said. “I don’t know how long it took me between that and when I asked him to stop. I don’t think it was very long. I felt like I couldn’t speak or breathe because the pain was so great.”

She alleged that she begged him to stop, first very gently, then louder, but Brand continued.

She said he looked “absolutely horrified” after the alleged attack, adding: “I thought he was going to apologize… but actually what he said was: ‘You need to clean up the mess you made.’ »

She said one of Brand’s assistants later asked her to leave because the comedian had a gig.

“The way I describe this event to people afterward is that it was traumatic and it hurt me and hurt me. And when I asked him to stop, he didn’t,” she said.

She told the court she then went to a sexual health clinic because she feared she might be infected with HIV, and became ill and anxious.

“In the years that followed, if I talked to people about it, it was very mixed with, ‘I shouldn’t have gone,’ and I think I tortured myself because I think it was one of the most painful experiences I’ve had.”

Earlier Tuesday, two women who separately accused Brand of sexually assaulting them at work in front of his entourage testified behind a screen.

The first woman said Brand laughed after he “mauled” her by squeezing her breasts and kissing her carelessly while she worked at a radio station in 2004 or 2005.

She told the court he “overpowered her with such force” during the “violent” and “frantic” attack which took place in the middle of her work day.

She said she “buried” the assault because there was such a culture of fear in the media in the 2000s and Brand was a “big star”.

The second woman, who worked at Channel 4, said she was “rejected” when Brand placed her head in her lap during a filming project after she was asked to give her a massage.

She said Brand was with two men – named in court as Jack Bayles and Gareth Roy – during the alleged assault in 2009, which she reported to her manager.

The trial continues.