The woman said Brand grabbed her arm and pleaded with her to join him in the men’s toilet, as she pulled back and managed to “wrench” herself free.
asserted
she → say → herself
Questioned why she did not report the incident to police at the time or mention it to her bosses, she pointed out that Brand was one of MTV’s star presenters at the time.
asserted
Brand → question → time
“There he is, one of the big assets at MTV and I have got a mortgage to pay so why make it hard for myself?” she said.
asserted
she → get → myself
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“It would have been my word against his, I had a job to consider, I came away relatively unscathed, and he didn’t rape me.
“I managed to get myself out of the situation and I wanted a quiet life.”
asserted
I → read → life
Brand is on trial accused of three rapes, three sexual assaults, and an allegation of indecent assault.
asserted
Brand → accuse → assault
He is accused of indecently assaulting the former MTV worker when they came across each other in 2001, and briefly exchanged words after she complimented his “I am Spartacus” t-shirt.
asserted
I → accuse → shirt
She told jurors Brand asked for directions to the men’s toilets, and she “pointed him in the direction” before showing him the way.
asserted
she → tell → way
“His manner changed,” she said.
asserted
she → change → ?
“He grabbed my forearm and he was leaning into the door.
asserted
he → grab → door
“It took me unawares, I wasn’t expecting that.”
asserted
I → take → that
She recalled Brand’s “hard” grip on her arm, and said he was “pleading” with her to join him in the toilet.
“He was trying to pull me into the bathroom and I was trying to pull myself away,” she said.
asserted
she → recall → myself
“I said to him ‘what are you doing?
asserted
you → say → what
Let me go.
asserted
me → let → ?
“Then he started to plead, almost ‘go on, go on, come in’.”
asserted
he → start → ?
She added: “He had what I would call a wild look in his eyes.
asserted
I → add → eyes
“I might have called him an idiot.”
uncertain
I → call → him
Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, suggested the woman had reassessed her memory of the incident after seeing a 2023 Dispatches documentary which accused the comedian of sexual misconduct.
uncertain
which → suggest → misconduct
She replied: “I always knew it was wrong.
asserted
it → reply → ?
That didn’t change my mind.”
asserted
That → change → mind
She said she decided to go to police in 2023 because it was “the right thing to do”, and rejected suggestions from Mr Winter that Brand had been seeking a consensual encounter and stopped when it was clear that she did not want it.
asserted
she → say → it
She told him: “You don’t drag someone by the arm, not in my world anyway.
asserted
You → tell → world
“You don’t grip someone to drag them in, that’s not consensual.”
asserted
that → grip → them
She added that she “wrenched” herself out of Brand’s grip, and suggested that she may have been stronger than he had expected her to be.
uncertain
her → add → grip
Asked how she felt after the alleged attack by Brand, the alleged victim said: “Bewildered, confused, ‘what the hell happened there?’.”
asserted
hell → ask → Brand
Earlier on Friday, the court heard from two men who were once part of a theatre troupe with Brand, as they were asked to recall the 1999 Labour Party conference where he is accused of raping a woman.
asserted
he → hear → woman
In the afternoon session, jurors heard evidence from a friend of the MTV worker, recounting how she had been told about the incident when Brand allegedly tried to drag her into a toilet.
uncertain
Brand → hear → toilet
Jurors were sent home for the day after the prosecution presented a series of agreed facts and pictures of Brand from 1999.
asserted
prosecution → send → 1999
Brand denies all the charges against him, and is set to argue that consensual encounters have been “reimagined” by his accusers after he faced allegations of sexual misconduct in recent years.
asserted
he → deny → years
The trial continues on Monday.
asserted
trial → continue → Monday
The Aporia
