Woman pleaded with Russell Brand to ‘stop’ during alleged rape, court hears

A woman who says she pleaded with Russell Brand to stop “raping” her in a hotel room broke down in tears while reporting the alleged attack to police in 2023.

Jurors heard the woman told Mr Brand that he was “hurting” her and that she “couldn’t breathe” while he allegedly raped her, after performing at a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in 1999.

The woman claims Mr Brand is said to have asked her if she was “enjoying it” while “making a lot of noises of enjoyment… saying how pretty I was,” she said.

The woman told police during an interview in 2023 that she was “really scared” when Mr Brand allegedly forced himself upon her.

“It was hurting, it was painful,” she said.

The interview, which was filmed by police and lasted for over an hour, was shown to jurors at Southwark Crown Court.

While the interview was playing, Mr Brand, in the dock, sat back in his chair and tilted his head to watch the interview on his own screen.

The woman alleged Mr Brand “pranced around” a hotel room wearing white “budgie smugglers” and asked her to take photos of him.

“I was frightened… I froze,” she said. “I remember feeling, ‘What on earth have I got myself into.’”

She told police that Mr Brand pushed her onto the bed in the hotel room and took her trousers off, court heard.

“I just remember him on me. I was trying not to let him kiss me… He was really heavy,” she told police.

“He tried to put his fingers in my mouth; I couldn’t breathe,” the woman told the officer.

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She tearfully said: “It made me feel so dirty, and I thought it was my fault…but in those days it was your fault; it was always your fault.”

“I was banging my head on the wall,” she told the officer, and said she felt like she “let everyone down.”

The woman alleged, “He just wanted to have sex that night, and I was there,” jurors heard.

After the alleged attack, the woman told police that Mr Brand “didn’t think he did anything wrong.”

She said: “I just remember crying, feeling stupid, thinking, ‘ What do I do? Do I tell anyone?'”

Jurors heard that the woman began “having nightmares” about the possibility of being pregnant.

When the pair first met, the woman alleges Mr Brand “grabbed” her in a “childish” way and that he was “very complimentary”, but said she didn’t find him attractive.

“I thought he was gay, I did, I actually thought he was a gay man, because he was very complimentary, saying how nice I looked, how clever I was, how brave I was. He was very polite, intelligent,” she said.

Mr Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault.

He has pleaded not guilty on all counts and strongly denies the allegations against him.

The trial continues.