Russell Brand rape accuser describes fears after alleged 1999 attack

A woman who accused Russell Brand of rape told police she feared she might be pregnant after the alleged attack in a hotel room in 1999, a court in London heard on Thursday.

Jurors at Southwark Crown Court watched footage from a 2023 police interview in which the woman described the alleged incident, per the BBC.

She said she met Brand at a fringe event during the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. After talking, they returned to her hotel room to continue their conversation.

The woman told detectives she was shocked when she returned from the toilet and found the comedian partly undressed. She alleged that he then raped her despite her repeatedly asking him to stop.

“Get off me, please stop. It hurts,” she recalled saying during the alleged attack.

She told police the incident lasted up to 10 minutes and left her frightened, in pain and struggling to breathe.

“He did rape, he did push me on the bed,” she told detectives. “He did pull my clothes off, he took my trousers off. I remember him on me, very heavy.”

The woman said she had told Brand no but felt unable to escape the situation. She also described mentally withdrawing during the alleged assault and closing her eyes in the hope that it would end quickly.

She further alleged that Brand spoke to her during the incident, saying they were “having fun”. Afterwards, she said, he behaved as though nothing was wrong.

The complainant said she later experienced nightmares about being pregnant.

Brand, 51, faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He denies all the charges and has pleaded not guilty.

Six women have made allegations against him relating to incidents said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009. The trial is expected to last six weeks.