A woman has alleged Russell Brand told her “it’s just fun” as he raped her in a hotel room at the 1999 Labour party conference, a court has heard.
asserted
court → allege → conference
The alleged victim told detectives the comedian made her feel sick and dirty as he assaulted her despite her pleading: “Get off me, please stop.
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her → tell → me
It hurts.”
asserted
It → hurt → ?
Brand faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009.
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Brand → face → 2009
He denies all the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
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He → deny → charges
The 51-year-old fixed his gaze on one of the TV screens at Southwark crown court on Thursday as a video of the woman’s interview from 27 September 2023 was played.
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video → fix → September
She told police she met Brand at a fringe cabaret event that he was performing in during the Labour party conference in Bournemouth in 1999.
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he → tell → 1999
She was not attracted to the then unknown performer, whom she assumed was gay and showered her with compliments.
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she → attract → compliments
But she found him polite and intelligent, and the pair spoke about their work before going back to her hotel room to continue their conversation.
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pair → find → conversation
The woman said she “froze” in the run-down single room when she returned from the toilet to find that Brand was partly naked and “prancing around” like an ostrich.
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Brand → say → ostrich
He also asked her to take photographs of him.
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He → ask → him
She said she asked him why he had undressed, and he told her: “Don’t worry, I’m mostly naked at home.”
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he → say → home
She told police he then raped her in an attack that lasted up to 10 minutes and left her feeling frightened, in pain, and like she couldn’t breathe.
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she → tell → pain
“He did rape, he did push me on the bed,” she told police.
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she → rape → police
“He did pull my clothes off, he took my trousers off.
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he → pull → trousers
“I remember him on me, very heavy.
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I → remember → me
I know I said no.
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I → know → ?
I kind of drifted out of my head.
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I → drift → head
I couldn’t get out of the situation – ‘do I shout, do I scream?’
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I → get → situation
He was very heavy, I couldn’t breathe, it didn’t take long.”
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it → breathe → ?
She described his body as snake-like and “disgusting” and said his tongue was “horrible” like a lizard.
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tongue → describe → lizard
“I’m saying ‘no, no’ but I was really scared.
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I → say → ?
I know he groped me.
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he → know → me
I know he was touching me, I know he grabbed my breasts.
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he → know → breasts
I know he tried to kiss me and I moved my neck.
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I → know → neck
I didn’t want his mouth on mine,” she told police.
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she → want → police
“He was just pulling my trousers down and pulling my underwear off, and he was inside me.
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he → pull → me
It was not nice, it was painful and it hurt.”
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it → hurt → ?
She said she closed her eyes during the attack and hoped it would be over quickly.
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it → say → attack
She recalled: “He was making noises, a lot of noises of enjoyment and saying how pretty I was.
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I → recall → enjoyment
I remember him complimenting me, saying: ‘Are you enjoying it’?
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you → remember → it
I remember him asking me.
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him → remember → me
Obviously I didn’t answer.”
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I → answer → ?
She alleged that Brand spoke as the attack was unfolding.
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attack → allege → ?
She told police: “He was just saying: ‘We’re having fun, it’s fine, it’s all good, don’t worry about it, it’s just fun, it’s normal.’”
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it → tell → it
The woman, who had been a victim of abuse in the past, said Brand made her compare earlier experiences, and it “stuck in her head … is this what abusers do?”
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abusers → say → what
She told police: “It was almost like to convince me it’s all OK and that I’d enjoy it, that I’d have to learn to enjoy it.”
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I → tell → it
In the aftermath, she said Brand acted “like nothing was wrong”, wrote down his email address, and suggested that his mother might like to meet her.
uncertain
mother → say → her
The following morning, she banged her head against the wall because she felt numb.
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she → bang → wall
She told police she had had nightmares about being pregnant and said she kept quiet about the incident for years as she watched Brand becoming “more and more famous”.
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Brand → tell → years
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
