Entertainment
Court hears accuser's police interview describing alleged 1999 hotel room rape by Russell Brand
A recorded 2023 police interview played in court has a woman accusing Russell Brand of raping her after a 1999 theater show. He has pleaded not guilty.
A woman who says Russell Brand raped her back in 1999 laid out the alleged attack in a recorded police interview that was played in court on Thursday.
Why she spoke up
She sat down with officers in 2023. In the recording she says she decided to go to the police after watching a documentary about Brand's alleged misconduct.
Her account of that night
According to the woman the two of them got talking after a theater show Brand had performed in. She says Brand then proposed heading back to the hotel where he was staying.
She told police that once they were inside Brand undressed down to his underwear. She says she objected and asked him what he was doing.
The woman alleges Brand groped her and kept kissing her even as she tried to make him stop. She described his tongue as "lizard-like."
She further alleges he pulled her pants down and penetrated her. She told officers it hurt and that he seemed to care only about finishing.
Afterward, she says, Brand carried on as though nothing much had happened. She told police she was left feeling dirty and believed the alleged rape was somehow her fault.
A long trial ahead
Brand's trial opened earlier this week and is expected to run for several months. Six women in all accuse him of incidents they say took place between 1999 and 2009.
He is charged with indecent assault plus counts of rape and sexual assault. Brand has pleaded not guilty to every charge.
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