Russell Brand trial hears second woman describe bathroom incident

A second woman told a London jury on Friday that Russell Brand turned into a “wild-eyed maniac” as he tried to pull her into a bathroom.

The evidence came on the fifth day of Brand’s criminal trial at Southwark Crown Court, the London court hearing the case. The trial is expected to last six weeks, according to Variety.

Brand, 51, has been charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges relate to six women and alleged incidents between 1999 and 2009. He has pleaded not guilty and denies all the allegations.

The second complainant, the legal term for a person making an allegation, gave evidence in person from behind a blue screen to protect her identity. She said she met Brand in 2001 while she was working at MTV, after she complimented his “I Am Spartacus” T-shirt.

She told the court Brand grabbed her arm “hard” outside a bathroom and pleaded with her to “come in, come in, come in.” She said she broke free, called him an “idiot,” and he then gave up and went into the toilet.

She said she told two colleagues what had happened, but did not report it to managers. Brand was a huge “asset” to MTV, she said, and she thought she would not be believed.

The jury had heard on Thursday from the first complainant. She described an alleged rape by Brand at the Labour Party conference in 1999 after meeting him at a cabaret show. She was cross-examined in person by Brand’s defence lawyer, Ian Winter KC.

Prosecutors have alleged Brand was a “sexual predator,” as reported by The New York Times. The six complainants have never met each other, according to BBC News.

The trial continues.