Russell Brand was a ‘crazy-eyed maniac’ when he tried to drag woman into toilet, court told | UK News

Russell Brand turned into a “crazy-eyed maniac” when he tried to lure a woman into the men’s toilet for sex before she “wrung away” to free herself, a court heard.

The 51-year-old comedian is accused of indecently assaulting the woman, who told Southwark Crown Court: “I came away relatively unscathed. He didn’t manage to rape me.”

The woman, who worked for MTV at the time, said she did not report the incident at the time because she was “scared” because Brand was famous “and a major asset” to the TV network.

Brand 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.

Dressed in a dark pinstriped suit, the TV personality sat upright in the dock on Friday as the woman testified from behind a screen.

She said she was working at MTV in 2001 when she met Brand and they “joked” about an I Am Spartacus T-shirt he was wearing. She then offered to show him the way to the bathroom, where he allegedly attacked her.

The woman said she felt “perplexed and confused”, telling the court: “This person went from someone who was jovial and friendly to suddenly becoming a wild-eyed maniac trying to drag me into the toilet. »

Detailing the alleged assault, she added: “His behavior changed. He grabbed my forearm and leaned against the door. It was quite strong, the grip. It took me by surprise, I wasn’t expecting that.”

In response to questions from prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, the woman said Brand began begging her to go to the toilet as she tried to run away.

“I said to him, ‘What are you doing? Are you crazy? Let me go.’ Then he started pleading, almost ‘go on, go on, go in’,” she told the court.

She said he had a “feral” look in his eyes and she had to use her strength to escape his “harsh” grip during an interaction that lasted about 20 seconds.

The woman said she told two co-workers what happened, but didn’t report it to police until she saw a 2023 documentary accusing Brand of sexual misconduct.

“It brought it all back,” she said. “I thought I had managed to escape. It could have been very different…I thought it was the right thing to come forward.”

Under cross-examination, defense barrister Ian Winter KC suggested the woman had reassessed her memories of the incident after the documentary, but she said it had not changed her mind.

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” she said. “It would have been my word against his, I had a job to consider, I came out relatively unscathed. He didn’t manage to rape me. I managed to get out of that situation.”

She rejected the lawyer’s suggestion that Brand had “invited” her to the bathroom for consensual sex. She said: “You don’t drag someone by the arm, not in my world anyway. You don’t hold someone to drag them away, it’s not consensual.”

She said he “grabbed and pulled” her, telling the court: “This is not the same as inviting someone in.” It amounts to forcing someone to do something against their will. »

Winter suggested that it was “a short-lived, very, very minor incident” and that after the woman refused, Brand “left it there.” The woman replied: “The intention was there. It could have been very different.”

Previously, the court heard testimony from the first plaintiff, who testified on Thursday. She alleges that Brand raped her after a fringe cabaret show at the 1999 Labor Party conference in Bournemouth.

Andrew Dobson, a former roommate of Brand’s who composed the music for the show, described his impressions of the comedian, saying he was “a very lively character, very selfish… lively, quite demanding and convincing.”

Dobson told the court: “I think sex was a big concern for him. I clearly remember nights where the quest to finally get someone into bed would have been a concern.”

He said there was a “rushed and rushed” tone in their shared guest house in Bournemouth the morning after their final show. “I remember Russell arriving and the sudden urgency to leave,” he said.

John Rogers, who wrote the series, described Brand’s reaction to an “encounter” the actor had with a woman during the week of the conference, saying it was “a little strange” and that he seemed “troubled.”

The court also heard statements from two women who the first complainant told about the alleged rape after the 2023 documentary.

The trial continues.