Russell Brand’s criminal trial continued at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday with testimony from three more accusers who claim the actor and comedian sexually assaulted them. The proceedings mark the latest phase of a high-profile case that has drawn intense scrutiny since allegations first emerged publicly.

Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault relating to incidents with six women spanning from 1999 to 2009. The former presenter and star of films including St Trinian’s and Forgetting Sarah Marshall has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him.

Speaking from behind a blue screen-all alleged victims of sexual assault cases are granted lifelong anonymity in the UK-Brand’s fourth accuser detailed an alleged assault she said occurred during the summer of 2004 or 2005. The protective screen allowed her to testify while maintaining anonymity, with Brand seated in his usual position and his wife, Laura Gallacher, nearby.

Alleged Assault at Radio Studios

The woman testified that she was having a “normal day” at work when she encountered Brand at the Capital offices. She alleged that Brand “just leapt on me” after she left a room, while he was accompanied by one woman and three men. “He grabbed my face, and was pushing his body against mine, literally walking me backwards,” she told the court.

She claimed Brand pushed her against a wall and began kissing her, describing the alleged attack as “violent,” “sloppy,” and “frenzied.” The witness provided graphic detail about the encounter, stating, “He touched my bum, my breast, his hand on my waist and his other hand was just pinning me against the wall, and his body was just pressed up against me.”

When asked by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC how forceful Brand was, the woman responded: “It was rough, his whole body was pressed against me… his hands were moving up and down so much it was violent. It was hard, and he just wasn’t stopping.” She emphasized the intensity of the alleged assault, noting that his entire body pressed against her throughout the incident.

Witnesses Failed to Intervene

The alleged victim said the woman and three men accompanying Brand did not intervene during the incident. “They didn’t say anything; they didn’t move,” she testified. “It was the middle of the working day, and they just didn’t say anything.” The lack of response from bystanders appeared to compound the traumatic nature of the alleged encounter.

The woman eventually pushed Brand away and told him to “fuck off,” she said. Brand fell back, she claimed, and let out a laugh, causing one of the men to start laughing as well. The laughter following the alleged assault added another layer to her account of the incident.

She then left the building to smoke a cigarette, telling the court she felt “dirty, shocked, stunned and shaken.” She did not tell anyone about the alleged incident at the time but reported it in 2023 after watching a few minutes of Channel 4’s documentary about the allegations surrounding Brand.

Defense Questions Timeline Uncertainty

Brand’s defense lawyer Ian Winter KC questioned the woman about her uncertainty regarding the exact year the alleged incident occurred. The woman responded simply: “It was over 20 years ago.” The passage of time has become a recurring theme in the defense’s cross-examination strategy throughout the trial.

On Monday, a third woman had testified about her encounter with Brand in a bar in Soho in 2004, where she says he dragged her into the toilets and orally raped her. In a 2023 video interview with police shown to the jury, she recalled her thinking during the alleged attack.

“If I do this, maybe he won’t try to rape me further. He won’t try to invade my body … Just do what he wants and get out of here, and then it’s done. I closed my eyes and tried not to be there,” the third accuser said in her police interview.

Cultural Context and Delayed Reporting

The third complainant told Southwark Crown Court that the “lad culture” of the 2000s stopped her from reporting the TV star at the time. She testified that she waited two decades to come forward to police because the thought of doing so “terrified” her. Brand’s celebrity status meant “it would be his word against mine,” she explained.

“I would be ostracised in my work environment or friends,” the woman testified. She 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 since the alleged incidents occurred.

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.” British press also reported that the police interview showed the officer asking what she was wearing during the attack, highlighting investigative practices that have since evolved.

Defense Strategy Challenges Accounts

Ian Winter KC, Brand’s barrister, suggested during cross-examination that Brand and the third 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 disagreed with this characterization, noting that Brand had been holding her throughout the alleged assault.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Sky News reported that Brand’s wife Laura Gallacher shook her head and raised her eyebrows during the morning’s testimony. The Hollywood Reporter has been closely following the proceedings, with lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones having presented the charges in depth on October 14.

The trial continues as the court hears testimony from all six complainants whose allegations date back more than two decades. Brand maintains his innocence against all charges.

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