Jury Shown Video of Woman Alleging 1999 Rape by Russell Brand
A jury at Southwark Crown Court was shown a recorded police interview on October 15, 2026, in which a woman alleged that Russell Brand raped her in a hotel room during the 1999 Labour Party conference.
The video, recorded on September 27, 2023, was played as evidence in the trial of Brand, 51. In it, the woman said she had met Brand at a fringe cabaret event he was performing in during the conference in Bournemouth in 1999, according to The Guardian.
She alleged that Brand told her "it's just fun" while raping her in the hotel room. The allegation is one of several being considered by the jury.
The woman said in the interview that she went to police after being affected by a 2023 Dispatches documentary programme about sexual misconduct allegations against Brand. Dispatches is a television documentary series.
Brand denies all charges against him and has pleaded not guilty. He faces three charges of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one charge of indecent assault against six women, with the allegations spanning from 1999 to 2009.
Prosecutors opened their case at Southwark Crown Court this week after jury selection took place on Monday, according to Reuters and the BBC. Prosecutors have told the court that Brand was a ruthless sexual predator, Reuters reported.
The six complainants have never met each other, the BBC reported.
The case followed decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service, the public prosecutors in England and Wales, to authorise charges against Brand, including rape, sexual assault and indecent assault, and later two further charges of rape. Brand pleaded not guilty to those additional charges in a London court in February.
