Woman tells court Russell Brand tried to drag her into toilets

A woman told a London jury that Russell Brand turned into a "wild-eyed maniac" when he tried to pull her into a toilet at MTV in 2001.

The witness, the second accuser to testify at Brand's criminal trial, gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court on Oct. 16, 2026. Variety She told the court: "I emerged relatively unscathed. He didn't manage to rape me." The Guardian

She said she met Brand at MTV in 2001 after banter about an I Am Spartacus T-shirt he was wearing, and offered to show him the way to the toilets. She alleged that he then grabbed her forearm with a forceful, hard grip and leaned into the door while trying to pull her inside. The encounter lasted about 20 seconds, she said, and she had to use her strength to break free.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC questioned the woman, and defence barrister Ian Winter KC cross-examined her. She rejected the defence suggestion that Brand had invited her into the toilet for a consensual encounter, saying that dragging someone by the arm is forcing, not inviting.

The woman said she did not report the incident at the time because she was scared, as Brand was famous "and a big asset" to MTV. She said she told two colleagues what had happened but did not go to police until she saw a 2023 documentary accusing Brand of sexual misconduct.

Brand, 51, faces three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault against six women over alleged incidents between 1999 and 2009. He denies all the charges. Reuters

The trial opened this week at Southwark Crown Court after jury selection on Monday. A first complainant gave evidence on Thursday, alleging Brand raped her after a fringe cabaret show at the 1999 Labour party conference in Bournemouth. Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters, pleaded not guilty earlier to charges of rape and sexual assault.