Russell Brand turned into a monster during a hotel room rape in 1999, a woman told Southwark Crown Court in London on 15 October 2026, according to RTE.ie.
The woman, whose identity is protected by law, broke down in tears as she described feeling shame and being dirty after the encounter, which she says took place at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. Brand, now 51, denies forcing himself on her after the two met at his cabaret show at the 1999 political event.
From friendly stranger to monster, court hears
She said Brand was camp, friendly and effeminate when they chatted after the show, but that he changed completely once she invited him to her hotel room to continue their conversation. She had believed, she told the court, that he was gay and that she was sexually safe with him.
He just changed suddenly from this camp, friendly and effeminate person to monster-like, she said.
He was big, I felt threatened and he was half-naked, she said. I didn't think at that point his intentions were good.
She said Brand stripped off his shirt and began to prance around like an ostrich and perform goose steps in the style of Basil Fawlty, as though the hotel room had become his stage.
He was just dark and arrogant and performing. He was scary, he was demanding, she said.
She said she was like a zombie on the bed during the rape and could not fight back. I know he raped me, I know I said no, no, I don't want this, she said.
Prosecutors allege Brand told the woman it's just fun as he raped her. She said she struggled to breathe when he was on top of her.
Fierce cross-examination lasted nearly two hours
Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, spent nearly two hours challenging the woman's account, suggesting she was not telling the truth and that she would have left the hotel room if she had been in danger of being raped.
She rejected that suggestion angrily. Where am I supposed to go? Run into the night and him chase after me? she asked. Of course I wanted to distance myself but I had nowhere to run.
When Winter suggested she had fallen under Brand's spell, she replied: That's not correct.
She said Brand had seemed to have empathy for what she was saying, but all the time he seems to have had something else in his mind.
Winter also suggested she wanted a young man she had just met to join her in a very small bedsit. She responded: I thought he was a gay man, very softly spoken, very effeminate.
The cross-examination grew so heated that the trial judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, had to intervene. When the two men spoke over each other during a tense exchange about what the woman had told police in her recorded interview, the judge told the barrister: Shush. I'm the judge.
Winter had earlier replied tersely: Forgive me. I am conducting a cross-examination.
Six women have made allegations against Brand
Brand denies allegations from six different women in total. He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges relate to incidents spanning several years, including the alleged rape at the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
The case has drawn wide attention, partly because Brand spent years presenting himself as a provocative public figure before reinventing himself as a wellness and politics commentator. The court heard that in a recent appearance on Piers Morgan's show, Brand spoke about shame and reputation.
The woman referenced that appearance at the close of her cross-examination.
I am the one being silenced, she told the court.
Faced with the suggestion that she had wanted to have sex with Brand, she added: I can 100% tell you I did not consent, I did not find him attractive.
She said she had blamed herself for letting him into the room, and that her only thought during the ordeal was that the quicker it was over, the better. All I just wanted was for him to leave.
She told police in her recorded interview, which was played to the court, that Brand had a snake-like, disgusting body and that she found him a bit of an ugh who made her feel nauseous.
Why this trial matters
The trial at Southwark Crown Court continues, and Brand denies all charges against him. The outcome will rest on the credibility of testimony from the six women whose complaints form the basis of the prosecution case, and on how the court weighs accounts of events stretching back more than twenty-five years.
For the women who have come forward, the process itself carries a weight that is hard to overstate. The witness in this case faced nearly two hours of hostile questioning about the most traumatic moments of her life, in open court, with the world's media watching. That she held her ground, and that the judge stepped in when the questioning grew too aggressive, says something about how far courts have come in protecting complainants. It also shows how far there is still to go.
FAQ
What is Russell Brand accused of?
Brand has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault, following allegations from six women.
Where is the trial taking place?
The trial is being heard at Southwark Crown Court in London before Mr Justice Bennathan.
What is the 1999 allegation about?
Prosecutors allege that Brand raped a woman in her hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth in 1999, after the two met at his cabaret show.