WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS

A woman has described how Russell Brand (51) allegedly raped her in a hotel room more than 20 years ago, leaving her feeling scared and “dirty”.

Southwark Court in London heard the video testimony on Thursday from a police interview recorded in 2023. The woman, who cannot be named, told officers that Brand raped her in Bournemouth in 1999 while he performed in a theatre show at the Labour Party Conference.

“I’m reporting that Russell Brand did rape me,” she says in the recording.

From chat to attack

The woman said she spoke with Brand at his show and suggested they continue talking in her hotel room. When she came back from the toilet, he had stripped down to tight underwear.

“I was taken aback, shocked,” she told police.

She said Brand then pushed her onto the bed. “I’m thinking no, no, but I was really scared,” the woman recalled.

“I do remember saying ‘no, what are you doing?’” she said. She told officers she weighed between 41 kg and 44 kg at the time, while Brand was “really heavy, I couldn’t even breathe”.

Six women make allegations

Brand, a former Hollywood actor who was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry, denies all seven charges involving six women. He has pleaded not guilty.

The trial started this week with prosecutors calling Brand a “sexual predator” who acted in “ruthless” and “manipulative” ways on Wednesday.

The jury will hear testimony from six women who make allegations dating from 1999 to 2009, when Brand was becoming famous.

Brand, who now works as a faith-based online commentator, watched the first woman’s video evidence from his glass-walled dock. She will later give evidence in court from behind a screen.

The woman told police she came forward after watching a 2023 British television documentary. Judge Joel Bennathan told the jury all six women contacted police after seeing the documentary, but warned it presented the allegations in a “one-sided” way.

ALSO READ: UK comedian Russell Brand faces new rape, assault charges

Graphic testimony

In the police interview, the woman said Brand “groped me” and she tried to stop him kissing her.

“I didn’t want his mouth on mine, I didn’t want his tongue… it was horrible, it was lizard-like,” she said.

The woman described how Brand pulled down her trousers. “He was inside me, it was not nice, it was painful,” she said.

“He just wanted to ejaculate and that’s what he did,” she said, adding she felt “frozen” and had her eyes shut.

She said Brand “didn’t think he did anything wrong, he just got up” after the incident.

The woman cried as she told police: “It made me feel so dirty and I felt it was my fault.”

The trial continues.

ALSO READ: UK comedian and actor Russell Brand charged with rape