A comedian once celebrated for his provocations now stands at the far edge of his public life, sentenced to more than a decade in prison after a London court found him guilty of rape and sexual assault. In the days that followed, a Times and Sunday Times investigation laid out six further accounts from women, unsettling a story that had seemed to be closing. None of these new claims has been tested in court, and the man at the centre of them has previously denied wrongdoing and said his relationships were consensual. The episode is also becoming a question about the industry that once made him
Six more women accuse Russell Brand of sexual misconduct, days after his rape conviction
Six women allege sexual misconduct, including one who said she had sex without consent and another who said she was hurt and asked him to stop.
A comedian once celebrated for his provocations now stands at the far edge of his public life, sentenced to more than a decade in prison after a London court found him guilty of rape and sexual assault. In the days that followed, a Times and Sunday Times investigation laid out six further accounts from women, unsettling a story that had seemed to be closing. None of these new claims has been tested in court, and the man at the centre of them has previously denied wrongdoing and said his relationships were consensual. The episode is also becoming a question about the industry that once made him famous, and about how long its silences can last.
Six more women have come forward with accusations against Russell Brand, reported by the Times and the Sunday Times in the days after the comedian, now 51, was sentenced to more than ten years in prison. The newspapers held the material back while his criminal case was still live, so that the accounts would not prejudice the proceedings. The conviction at Southwark crown court covered the rape of a 21-year-old fan and sexual assaults on three women between 2004 and 2009. He was cleared of two other rape charges and one of attempted indecent assault.
The reporting opens with a woman who had an on-off relationship with Brand in the late 2000s. She describes him moving to initiate sex in bed, not wearing a condom, and continuing after she asked him to stop. She says she felt unable to move and chose not to fight, and that he later apologised, which she told herself at the time meant he had admitted it. Another woman, who met him in 2007 aged 19, says she told him the sex was painful and to stop, and that he did not. Afterwards, she says, he insisted the night had been consensual.
The other accounts vary in kind. They include a fan who says he forced his hand down her trousers after a San Francisco show, a woman who says he offered to pay her for sex at a festival, and a former BBC 6 Music competition winner who describes being told to lick a toilet seat and being angered when she refused. A woman who worked at a London venue in 2015 says he grabbed her in a darkened disabled toilet. The Times says it corroborated the claims and paid none of its sources.
Brand's lawyer said he would consider injunctive relief but did not respond to the allegations, even after an extended deadline. Brand has denied wrongdoing. The prime minister, Andy Burnham, has urged the media industry to look at itself, a call that comes alongside fresh allegations against David Walliams, who also denies them. What happens next depends on whether legal action follows and how far the scrutiny spreads.
Six more women have accused Russell Brand of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour, according to an investigation by the Times and the Sunday Times. The accounts were published days after the comedian, who is 51, was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. The newspapers said the allegations could not be reported while his criminal case was live, because doing so risked prejudicing the proceedings.
The sentence came on Monday. Brand had been convicted at Southwark crown court in London of raping a 21-year-old fan and of sexually assaulting three women in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009. He was cleared of two further charges of rape and one of attempted indecent assault.
The newspapers' reporting begins with a woman who said she had an on-off relationship with Brand in the late 2000s, after a professional meeting at his London home. She described being in bed with him when he moved to initiate sex. Noticing he was not wearing a condom, she asked him to stop. She told the Times he was close, on top of her and pushing, and that she tried to move but could not. In that moment, she said, she decided she would not fight, because "who knows what he could do." She said Brand later apologised in person and by text, and that she told herself at the time that at least he had admitted it. The newspapers describe this as an allegation that he had sex with her without consent and then apologised.
A second woman said she met Brand in 2007, aged 19, while queueing with a friend to meet him. She told the paper that during sex she said it was painful, that he did not stop, and that it got worse. She said she then told him to stop, and he still did not. According to the report, she said he told her afterwards that the night was consensual and that nobody had done anything they did not want to do.
The other four accounts are of different kinds. A fan in her late 20s said that after a Brand show at The Chapel in San Francisco in 2013, he manhandled her and forced his hand down her trousers. She said she did not resist and let it happen. A woman then in her mid-twenties said that at a music festival in 2005 Brand approached her and said he needed to have sex with her and would pay her. A woman who won a BBC 6 Music competition in her late 20s and appeared as a guest on his show in 2006 said they saw each other sporadically for the following year. She alleged that he told her to lick a toilet seat at his house and got angry when she refused, and she said he seemed annoyed that she would not let him humiliate her. Finally, a woman who worked at a London venue Brand visited regularly in 2015 said a member of his staff told her he wanted her and that he was in the disabled toilets. She said the lights were off and he claimed to want toilet paper, but grabbed her when she went to hand it to him.
The Times said it took extensive steps to corroborate the claims and that none of its sources were paid. After Monday's conviction, the newspapers approached Brand through his legal representatives. His lawyer reportedly said he would consider seeking injunctive relief but sent no response to the allegations, even after being given extra time and an agreed deadline passing. Brand has previously denied wrongdoing and said all his relationships were consensual. The new allegations are unproven.
The story has reached Westminster. The prime minister, Andy Burnham, said the media industry needs to look at itself and step forward to protect women and girls. He was speaking after Brand's conviction and after allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian David Walliams, made in an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. Walliams has denied them. What to watch next is whether Brand's lawyer acts on the injunction suggestion and how far the scrutiny of the industry extends.
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei The Guardian ↗