Russell Brand accuser says Channel 4 brushed her 2009 complaint under the carpet

A former Channel 4 employee has told a court that senior managers at the broadcaster brushed her complaint about Russell Brand under the carpet. Her victim impact statement, which explains how the incident affected her life, was read at Southwark Crown Court on Monday by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones, according to Deadline.

Brand hosted Big Brother's Big Mouth, the Channel 4 chat show that followed the reality series. Deadline reports that in 2009 he was convicted of assaulting a Channel 4 worker. He placed his head in her groin area and demanded a massage.

She complained to her line manager the day after the incident. It was not escalated at Channel 4 at the time. In her statement, she said she no longer felt safe at work. She said she needed colleagues in the room whenever she worked with people she did not know.

The broadcaster has acknowledged the failure. In 2024, Channel 4 apologised to her for not investigating her allegation properly. It said the claim was not passed up its senior management chain, and was not investigated as it should have been under the procedures then in place. That same year, she publicly criticised the broadcaster's response in a Guardian report. In October, Deadline reported that she had told Channel 4 about the comedian at the time.

The 2009 incident was witnessed by two male friends of Brand. One of them, comedy producer Jack Bayles, has been dropped from three projects, Deadline reports. They are Apple TV's The Choir, the third season of the BBC's Such Brave Girls, and the BBC show Push.

The criminal case has moved on to sentencing. Reuters reported on 5 November that Brand had been found guilty of rape and of other offences. He was acquitted of two rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault. Judge Joel Bennathan presided over the trial. Brand was refused bail after the verdicts.

Four women gave victim impact statements in court on Monday. One said she had received death threats since giving evidence against him. A victim described Brand as a "sexual predator" during the sentencing hearing, Reuters reported. Brand has denied all the charges against him. Deadline reports that he will be sentenced to prison, and he has not yet been sentenced.