Editor’s note: This story contains details of alleged sexual offenses that some readers may find distressing.
A woman has revealed that she complained to Channel 4 about Russell Brand’s behavior in 2009 after he allegedly put his head in her lap and demanded a massage, a court has heard.
The woman, whom we are calling Complainant 6 (C6) as she has a lifelong right to anonymity, was working for Channel 4 at the time of the alleged attack. Giving evidence as part of Brand’s rape trial, C6 claimed she reported her experience to her line manager and was assured the matter had been escalated.
Brand faces three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one of indecent assault based on allegations made by six women. He will set out his defense later in the trial, denies all charges and has pleaded not guilty. Deadline has been reporting from a live video feed of the courtroom since the trial began, but a tech outage meant remote access was down this morning.
In evidence to London’s Southwark Crown Court, C6 alleged that the comedian and actor had forced her to give him a massage. Speaking from behind a screen, she said she was working for Channel 4 at the time and had “briefly” met Brand once before. According to Sky News, C6 alleged Brand briefly left the room they were both in, returned and lay his head on her lap, before saying, “Come on then.”
C6 alleged she could feel his breath on her vagina. “I just thought I need to get him off me, so my hands went down at a diagonal [during the massage]. I was so repulsed by the situation I just thought, ‘Oh, you’re so bony. Ugh,” she was quoted by Sky News as telling the courtroom.
The court has been told repeatedly that Brand declined to answer questions when interviewed by police. He instead relied on a prepared statement, in which he claimed that he did not recall meeting the women and did not remember their names. He said any sexual contact was consensual.
Yesterday at the trial, a former MTV employee said she didn’t initially report her allegation of rape against Brand because she feared being “seen as trouble.”
The trial continues.