Russell Brand victim tells court ‘my trauma never ends’ in emotional statement about how rapist’s attack ruined her life
A VICTIM of rapist Russell Brand told a court she has lived with the never-ending trauma of the attack for the past 17 years.
The disgraced star’s youngest target met him when he invited her backstage at one of his stand-up comedy gigs.
He hand-picked her from a line-up of female fans at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009.
He invited the woman, who was in her early 20s at the time, to his £2.3million home in Hampstead, North London, the following week.
He then anally raped her.
In a later text exchange she rejected his further advances, telling him: “You’ve pushed me far enough. You treated me like an animal.”
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In an emotional victim personal statement — one of four presented to Southwark crown court yesterday — the woman told how her life has been plagued by what she called the “lasting effects of trauma” from the attack.
She said: “The effects have been significant and continue to affect me today. Even now, I feel that I am living with the trauma of what happened. It is something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending.”
In her statement, read out by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, she told the court that she felt humiliated and overwhelmed and moved back in with her parents because she did not feel safe alone.
She described becoming hyper-vigilant, adding: “I often felt on edge and avoided certain situations.”
SEX ASSAULT VICTIM IN COUNT 3
THE victim sexually assaulted by Russell Brand in a Soho bar gave her statement to the court in person yesterday.
Speaking from behind a curtain, as her attacker listened from the dock, she described how she was left feeling “physically sick” after seeing his predatory behaviour celebrated on TV “like it was all a joke”.
Brand’s trial heard how the comic — a presenter on a Big Brother spin-off show at the time — had a “maniacal grin” as he groped her breasts within seconds of meeting her at a pal’s birthday bash in Soho, London, in 2004.
The woman, who has a daughter and cannot be named for legal reasons, said that she was left “in complete shock and turmoil” for weeks and felt like “damaged goods”.
Standing before her attacker in court, she said: “It really affected how I viewed myself. I didn’t have any respect for myself and got into situations with toxic men as I didn’t have any self-worth.
“As his star was rising, it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke.” She doubted Brand had changed, saying:
“A leopard may change its spots, but at the end of the day, it’s still a leopard and not a gazelle.”
She added that she was left terrified that she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease from the comedian and TV presenter — and that also had a profound effect on her mental health.
In her statement, she said the thought of seeing Brand again caused her “anxiety and fear” and destroyed her career ambitions.
She told the court: “The defendant’s public profile had a significant impact on me.
“Because of who he was and the influence he held, I did not feel confident speaking openly about what had happened.
“I did not know who I could trust or confide in.
“I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed. His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.
“I did not have the confidence to challenge someone who appeared so powerful, rich and influential.
“His public profile meant that he remained present in my life even when I wanted to move on.
SEX ASSAULT VICTIM IN COUNT 7
A VICTIM targeted by Brand in front of his entourage says his attack destroyed her innocence and her trust in others.
The then-Channel 4 staffer was sexually assaulted in 2009.
The woman told the trial that TV producers Jack Bayles and Gareth Roy pressured her into giving him a massage before he stuck his head into her groin.
In her statement read to the court yesterday, she said: “Following the incident with Russell Brand I was really upset. I was wary and on my toes about something similar happening again.
“I felt I lost my trust in people and that my working environment wasn’t safe. From that point onwards I made sure I wasn’t sitting in a room alone and I had a colleague with me. It opened my eyes up in a bad way.
“I became more wary of working relationships with people I did not know.
“I feel like I was quite innocent before and this burst that bubble.
“I felt powerless in that moment and it had a knock-on effect on my confidence because I felt like I had no control on that day and there was nothing I could do about what he did to me.
“Immediately after the incident I spoke up and, sadly, it was brushed under the carpet by senior management.
“There was a culture at the time which meant I felt I had to just carry on.”
“I would regularly encounter references to him in the media, which made it difficult to escape reminders of what had happened.”
The woman eventually came forward to police in 2025 after seeing he had been charged with attacking other women.
She told the court that Brand’s celebrity was a significant factor in her not contacting police about the rape for 16 years.
She added: “When I eventually reported what had happened, it was not simply because of the media documentary.
“By that stage I had become aware of the police investigation and felt that I was finally in a stronger position mentally to disclose my experience.
“Reporting what happened was something I had hoped I would eventually be able to do but it took a long time to reach that point. The investigation and criminal justice process have been extremely difficult.
“Providing personal records and access to my mobile phone felt highly intrusive and, at times, I felt as though I was the person being scrutinised and interrogated.
“Every update regarding the case brought back memories of the incident and felt like reopening old wounds.
“Rather than allowing me to move forward, updates often pulled me back into a painful period of my life.
“I have also been very anxious about attending court and being cross-examined. The thought of personal details being discussed publicly has caused me significant distress.”
The complainant also described the way Brand’s defence team labelled her an “obsessive fan” as deeply hurtful.
She responded: “That portrayal does not reflect who I am.
SEX ASSAULT VICTIM IN COUNT 5
A WOMAN attacked by Brand while she was working at Choice FM radio station in 2005 branded him a predator without remorse.
The trial heard he mauled her in front of his entourage by pushing her up against a wall, “sloppily and aggressively” kissing her, then groping her breasts and backside.
In her impact statement, she attacked Brand for being able to “move on and even forget that he sexually assaulted me violently in a very public place and in front of people”.
The woman said that seeing his face or hearing his voice on TV and social media would scare her.
She added: “Hearing some refusing to accept that men in the public eye could be guilty of committing such offences left me upset and angry.
“I couldn’t articulate to them that this had happened to me, too.”
Her statement said that she was advised to seek therapy for serious anxiety.
She added: “This was the period when the allegations against Russell Brand were in the media and being investigated.
“It was the first time in 20 years that I had spoken to anyone about what had happened.”
She went on: “Russell Brand is a sexual predator who has no remorse for how his behaviour has impacted my life.
“I just hope that he is not allowed to hurt any more women.”
“I had my own ambitions, goals and aspirations.”
And she went on: “The media coverage surrounding the case has added another layer of difficulty.
“I was unprepared for the level of publicity.
“It has been extremely distressing to relive what happened and then see it discussed so widely across television, newspapers and online platforms.
“I have been worried throughout that my identity, or the identities of my family members, could become known.
“The intensity of media interest has created anxieties that are separate from the rape and has made it much harder to put the experience behind me.”
She went on: “My confidence and self-esteem have been badly affected. I regularly feel on edge and question my own judgment.
“I doubt my ability to make good decisions and no longer trust my instincts in the way I once did.
“I have lost trust in other people, particularly those I do not know well, and I often worry that I will not be listened to or believed.
“I also lost respect for myself following the incident and felt as though I had lost control over my own life. Looking back, I feel that I abandoned myself and my own needs.”
Concluding her victim personal statement, she told the court how what she called the “lasting and far-reaching” consequences of the attack had affected “almost every aspect of my life”.
She said: “Even now, I continue to experience anxiety, difficulties with trust, reduced confidence and the lasting effects of trauma.
“What happened is not something that I have simply been able to move on from.
“It remains a significant part of my life and continues to influence how I view myself, my relationships and my future.”
Brand — who clutched prayer beads in his hand — looked on emotionless as the prosecutor delivered the statement.