On day four of Russell Brand’s rape trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court on October 15, 2026, jurors watched a video of a 2023 police interview with the first complainant, in which she alleged that Brand raped her in her hotel room after they met at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth in 1999, Deadline reported. She described Brand being half-naked and “prancing around” the room, forcing her to take photos of him, then pushing her onto the bed and removing her clothes, according to Variety. Brand, 51, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
What the complainant told police
The woman, referred to in court as C1, has a lifelong right to anonymity under UK law, Deadline reported. Her account came to the jury through a recorded police interview from 2023 rather than live testimony on the day.
According to Variety, she told police that after she returned from the toilet, Brand was half-naked and “prancing around” the hotel room. She said he then forced her to take photos of him before pushing her onto the bed and taking off her clothes.
She said she tried to push him off but that he was “really heavy” and she could not breathe, Variety reported.
“I was frightened… I froze,” she said in the interview, according to Variety.
Earlier in the evening, she said, Brand’s behavior had given her no cause for alarm. “He was very gentlemanly… I didn’t think he was trying it on with me,” she told police, according to Deadline.
She also described doubting her own understanding of what had happened. “I second-guessed myself if it was rape because it was so normal,” she said, per Variety.
The interview ended with a direct statement. “I’m reporting that Russell Brand did rape me,” she said, according to Deadline and AFP via France24.
Why she came forward in 2023
The woman said she did not tell anyone about the alleged rape for years because of shame, Variety reported. She first spoke about it to a friend in 2023. It was that friend who initially reported the incident, Variety said, and the woman later came forward to police herself.
She said Channel 4’s 2023 “Dispatches” documentary “triggered” her decision to report the alleged rape to police, according to Variety.
That documentary was part of a joint investigation by Channel 4 and The Times and Sunday Times, published in September 2023, examining sexual assault allegations against Brand. The reporting prompted multiple women to come forward and report to police.
In April 2025, London’s Metropolitan Police charged Brand with rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to those five charges, relating to four women, at Southwark Crown Court on May 30, 2025. Two further charges, one of rape and one of sexual assault relating to two more women, were added in December 2025.
Where the trial stands
Brand now faces three charges of rape, one charge of indecent assault, and three counts of sexual assault, relating to six women, CNN reported. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them. The alleged offenses span 1999 to 2009.
The prosecution opened its case on day three, October 14. In its opening statement, the prosecution described Brand as “ruthless and calculated” with a “voracious” desire for sexual contact, Variety reported.
Brand’s wife, Laura Gallacher, attended the first two days of proceedings, including the prosecution’s opening on October 14, but was not present in court on October 15, according to Variety.
Brand has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In a prior public statement to his social media followers, he said, “I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity,” Deadline reported.
Who Russell Brand is
Brand rose to fame as a comedian and television presenter in the UK before crossing over to Hollywood, where he appeared in films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.” He was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
In recent years he has built a large online following, and he was baptized as a Christian in 2024.
The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court. The jury is expected to hear from the remaining complainants in the coming days and weeks before the defense presents its case. Brand remains innocent unless and until a jury returns a guilty verdict.
