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Woman says she 'closed eyes and tried not to be there' during alleged Russell Brand rape - Published - Warning - this report contains graphic content A woman who alleges she was raped by Russell Brand at a bar told the police "I just closed my eyes and tried not to be there" while the attack was taking place. In a 2023 video interview with an officer shown to the jury at his trial, the woman said she had been speaking to Brand about him hosting the Channel 4 show Big Brother's Big Mouth when he allegedly sexually assaulted her. Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges in the trial - three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. The woman told the Southwark Crown Court jury the "lad culture" of the 2000s stopped her from reporting the TV star. She has accused Brand of grabbing her breasts at the bar in Soho in London in 2004 before dragging her into a toilet and allegedly raping her. The pair had been attending a birthday party when the alleged incidents happened. She said she waited two decades to come forward to the police because the thought of doing so "terrified" her. She said his celebrity status meant "it would be his word against mine". "I would be ostracised in my work environment or friends." The complainant worked for MTV at the time and said she was often surrounded by famous people. From behind a blue screen in the witness box she said times had changed. In those days - she said - "you weren't believed as a woman and it was a lad culture of 'you wearing this, so you were asking for it' and all that rubbish you were told back then". The complainant recalled Brand's "big weird grin" which she compared to the face of a clown as he allegedly launched forward and grabbed hold of her. Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, suggested during cross examination that Brand and the woman went to the toilet consensually for a "kiss and a cuddle", but they abandoned the attempt to have a sexual encounter because of the filthy state of the flooded toilet. The woman, who became tearful while giving evidence, has rejected this version of events. She said she felt "dazed" after the alleged attack. Pressed on her claim of being dragged into the toilets against her will, the defendant's barrister suggested it would have been "perfectly easy" for her to have struggled or asked for help. She said she did not agree because he had been holding her quite strongly, saying "part of me was saying just get it over with so you can get out of here". She described feeling numb and ashamed afterwards. She told the jury she had later confided in a friend, telling them Brand had "tried to do it" - but held back from saying he had "succeeded" in raping her. The woman told the prosecution barrister that she didn't even know at the time that the alleged oral attack would be legally considered as rape. Earlier on Monday, the jury was shown a 2023 video interview with an officer in which the woman said she had been speaking to Brand about him hosting the Channel 4 show Big Brother's Big Mouth when he allegedly sexually assaulted her. In her recorded interview with police, the woman said "he literally just grabbed my boobs out of nowhere in the middle of the conversation, just in the middle of a conversation and I just remember this weird maniacal grin, looming in front of me as he just grabbed my boobs". A short while later, she said he "dragged me in the toilets" where the floor was flooded, before "he unzipped himself" and allegedly orally raped her. She said the alleged rape was "swift", and left her "in disbelief and shock". "The toilets were behind where he stood. It was literally just grab and pull. He was holding me quite strongly on the arm and pulled me in that direction," she said. "Part of me was saying just get it over with so you can get out of here". "I just closed my eyes and tried not to be there. I just remember it felt like a force. I definitely said I don't want to do this," she added. After the alleged rape, the woman, who was in her 20s at the time, said Brand "turned to me and said 'oh I guess we should swap numbers now', like it was just all normal, like he hadn't just forced me to do that." Brand denies all the charges he faces. He has said that any sexual contact if it happened, would have been consensual. The trial continues and is expected to last for six weeks. Russell Brand on Trial You can follow the trial day by day on the BBC podcast Russell Brand on Trial - available on BBC Sounds, YouTube, iPlayer, or wherever you get your BBC podcasts Related topics - Published4 days ago
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