Friend Testifies to Accuser’s Pain After Brand Encounter

A friend of a woman who accused Russell Brand of rape testified this week that the alleged victim was in severe pain and “couldn’t sit down” after the encounter.

The witness, who testified remotely, told the court that the alleged victim recounted how Brand had invited her to his dressing room at the Hammersmith Apollo theatre in London in 2009. The alleged victim later told her friend that Brand had sent a car to take her to his London home, where a sexual encounter, initially consensual, allegedly turned into rape.

The accuser’s friend testified that the woman was “just crying” and “really upset” when she described the incident. The friend recalled her accuser saying Brand “was quite aggressive” and “forcibly put it in my [butt]” and that “it really, really hurt.” The accuser also told her friend that she had repeatedly said “no” to Brand.

A second friend, testifying in person, corroborated that the woman had repeatedly asked Brand to stop. This witness also claimed the accuser said Brand told her she had “been dirty” and needed to “clean up her mess.” The alleged victim reportedly told this friend that Brand was “quite cold and keen to get her gone” afterward.

The second witness advised the accuser to seek medical attention due to anal tears and significant discomfort. She also suggested reporting the incident to the police. However, the alleged victim reportedly felt it “wasn’t worth it” and struggled to process the event.

The woman’s former boyfriend also testified that she became “very upset” when discussing the alleged encounter, which she described as rape. During cross-examination, Brand’s attorney questioned the former boyfriend about a statement he made suggesting the woman had “come round” to having anal sex. The witness acknowledged the statement but clarified that the woman had “surrendered to the idea,” adding that surrender does not negate an attack.

The accuser’s mother provided a statement indicating her daughter was “very worried about HIV” following the alleged attack. She also stated that her daughter “had always admired” Brand.

Brand is facing seven charges: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault. These charges stem from alleged incidents involving six women between 1999 and 2009. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was briefly married to singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2011.

In a video posted on Instagram after charges were announced in 2025, Brand vehemently denied the allegations, stating he was a “fool” in his youth but “never was a rapist” and has “never engaged in nonconsensual activity.” He previously issued a social media statement in September 2023 strongly denying the “very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” while admitting to being “very, very promiscuous” but insisting his relations were “absolutely always consensual.”