Russell Brand allegations: Accuser claims BBC car took her from school to star’s house when she was 16
One of Russell Brand’s accusers has claimed a BBC car took her from school to the star’s house when she was 16 years old.
“Alice” told BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour the alleged abusive relationship left her feeling “cheap and dirtied”.
She went on to say Brand’s denial of the accusations was “insulting”.
“It is laughable that he would even imply that it’s a mainstream media conspiracy. He’s not outside of mainstream media,” she said.
She said she would like to know why more was not done by the corporation at the time of their relationship in 2006, saying: “He had a very well-known record of doing things that were inappropriate on the air, he had inappropriate conversations.”
She said she does not think Brand was being held to the same standards as other BBC presenters or newsreaders, adding: “There were exceptions and allowances made for him and we need to ask ourselves why.”
The BBC has confirmed it is “urgently looking into the issues raised”.
The woman claimed she met Brand when he was 30 and he worked as a presenter on Radio 2.
Describing her alleged abusive relationship with Brand, she said: “I felt used up, I felt cheap, I felt dirtied by the whole thing.”
She said she was struggling with mental health issues and recovering from an eating disorder at the time, all of which contributed to her failing to finish her A-levels.
The Sunday Times says in 2020 Alice contacted Brand’s literary agent at the time, who was also the co-founder of talent agency Tavistock Wood.
A spokesperson for the agency said Brand “categorically and vehemently denied the allegations” at the time but they now believe they were “horribly misled” and have terminated all professional ties with the comedian.
More women come forward after accusations
Four women have made allegations of sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 as part of an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
The BBC said in a statement: “The documentary and associated reports contained serious allegations, spanning a number of years.
“Russell Brand worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently looking into the issues raised.”
Since publication, The Times said it had been contacted by “several women” with claims about Brand, but said their allegations have not yet been investigated and “will now be rigorously checked”.
Brand, 48, vehemently denies the allegations. and claimed in a video posted online on Friday night that all of his relationships have been “consensual”.
Police encourage any victim to come forward
The Metropolitan Police has responded to the accusations – saying it encourages victims of sexual assault to contact the force.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault. At this time, we have not received any reports in relation to this.
“If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police.
“We spoke with The Sunday Times on Saturday 16 September. We will be making further approaches to The Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure that any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.”
In other developments:
• Channel 4 and production company Banijay UK have both launched investigations
• Elon Musk and Andrew Tate were among those appearing to offer Brand support
• Charity Trevi Women cut ties with the comedian
• Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for quicker responses to such claims
• A parliamentary committee said it would “closely monitor” the issue
• Amnesty International said the claims were “shocking” but it received no complaints