Russell Brand accused of pinning woman down in locked dressing room

Four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation into the actor’s treatment of women. Picture: Reuters

Four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation into the actor’s treatment of women. Picture: Reuters

Published Sep 21, 2023

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A woman has accused Russell Brand of pinning her down in his locked dressing room.

The 48-year-old comedian - who has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse by six women, including one who said she was 16 at the time of their alleged relationship - is now facing another claims from another woman who first met him when she was 21 years old at London's Soho Theatre in 2008.

She went to another of his shows in Chelsea a few weeks later, when she and a friend were invited "for drinks" in an upstairs bar.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, the woman - who has remained anonymous - said: "As I went in, I stumbled, spilling my entire drink on to Russell’s leather trousers.

"I was so embarrassed but he leaned into me and said, ‘Oh dear’. I remember him helping me up but he was so close to me. It was really leery.”

She claimed the 'Get Him To The Greek actor' asked for her number and later asked for racy photos, and she "eventually" sent him a picture "in a bra and pyjama shorts".

At another show in West London, she has alleged that two security guards took her and a friend upstairs.

She thought they were going up to a bar, but her "heart sank" when she realised they were in his dressing room.

She claimed he was sat "eating strawberries" with his feet up and pointed at them saying, "I want you and you to get on the sofa".

She alleged that he then asked them to perform sex acts on each other, and when they refused he allegedly became "really persistent", which led to her friend getting angry and leaving.

Claiming he then forced her onto the sofa, she said: "I was trying to push him off and saying, ‘I have to go, I have to find my friend’.

"He was kissing me on my neck and holding me down. He was telling me to stay. This went on for about ten minutes or so until he stopped.

"Something in him switched and he became very nasty, very fast. He started saying, ‘Don’t you know who I am? Why wouldn’t you want to do this?' "

The woman has claimed that Brand then told her to leave and later sent her a message apologising for being "so persistent", and she never heard from him again after she replied: "If someone says no then you can’t pressure people.”

Four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation into the actor’s treatment of women by The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, as well as Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ programme.

A fifth accused him of abuse during their 2007 relationship in a memoir she published in 2014.

The Metropolitan Police said on Monday said a woman had contacted them on Sunday saying she was sexually assaulted by the entertainer in Soho, central London, in 2003.

Brand denies all the accusations against him and has said any of his relationships have been “consensual”.