A Times and Sunday Times investigation reports that six additional women have accused the comedian of sexual misconduct. These allegations surfaced immediately after Brand received a sentence of more than 10 years in prison on Monday for raping a fan and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009. The court cleared him of two further rape charges and one attempted indecent assault at Southwark crown court, but the new report details specific incidents involving consent violations and predatory behavior. I find the timing significant because the newspapers could not publish these claims until his criminal case ended to avoid prejudicing proceedings. The investigation notes that extensive steps were taken to corroborate the accounts without paying any of the sources involved.
Specific Incidents and Responses
One woman described an on-off relationship in the late 2000s where she asked Brand to stop having sex with her because he was hurting her. She told the paper, "And then it gets worse and it’s really painful. And I say ‘stop’ and he doesn’t stop." Brand reportedly responded by claiming, "Tonight was consensual. Nobody did anything they didn’t want to do." Another accuser, who met him at The Chapel venue in San Francisco in 2013, claimed he manhandled her and forced his hand down her trousers. A different woman reported that Brand approached her at a music festival in 2005 and said, "Please I just need to have sex with you, I will pay you." One source alleged he told her to lick a toilet seat at his house in 2006 and got angry when she refused. In 2015, a staff member at a London venue told another woman, "Russell wants you," leading to an incident where he grabbed her while asking for toilet paper.
Brand’s lawyer reportedly said he would consider injunctive relief but did not send a response despite an agreed deadline passing. The prime minister, Andy Burnham, stated that the media industry needs to look at itself and step forward to protect women and girls following these convictions. Brand has previously denied wrongdoing and claimed all his relationships were consensual, yet these new detailed accounts complicate that narrative significantly.
