Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse: The Times/Sunday Times story

[BrontëParsonage]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d4d93e74-5478-11ee-bc18-cbdd58145dc6?shareToken=b3cd34ae6268daad4741e6c092ceac97

If feel sorry for any victims. This has been hyped as the news story of the year with all the speculation about a massive exposure and people are now just going to say, 'That's it? That's the big story?'

Agree - it’s entirely unsurprising. Sex addict is sex addict.

Alan Titchmarsh would have raised some eyebrows but not this.

I must admit i don’t like trial by media. This should be dealt with by the police and judicial system. He as a right to a trial and a defence.

I agree

I'd be more surprised if Russell Brand hadn't been accused of these things

It's terrible for his victims but this is in no way 'the news story of the year'.

I've had to stop reading that; it's horrific

Agree

I hope that the victims are ok and aren't hounded now that they've gone public.

This happens when victims don't get anywhere though, doesn't it.

I get that’s often the case. And I get that lack of progress of rape cases puts others off even trying.

however from reading that article it doesn’t Lund like they went to the police? The reporters approached them? One of them says she has text messages where she says that no means no and he apologised. Which is very damming and I would have thought been good evidence? Plus she visited a rape centre that day so there would be even of that.

I do hope they feel they can go to the police now. The stories sound believable but I still think he should be afforded a proper trial (and punishment if guilty).

Not surprised he's been accused but from what I have read these are from the past, no complaint was made at the time so it is not clear who is driving this now? Just hope these individuals are not selling their story when it was consensual as has happened to other celebrities.

Trial by media is not right, if he has done something illegal the individuals concerned deserve justice from the proper authorities, the courts, not by telling all to c4 or a newspaper - the fact that it's not a police act makes me wary

Unsurprised that Russell Brand possibly has skeletons in his cupboard.

without casting any doubt on the stories of the women who have spoken out - the timing and motive interests me, in respect of whoever has decided to ‘expose’ him. The article suggests they have spent years talking to hundreds of people trying to dig something up.

Completely agree, if victims have allegations to make then the police should handle it and it should be investigated legally, not used as click bait and hyped as the ‘story of the year’.

I don’t see how anyone except the media gains this way, victims won’t get a fair hearing at trial and neither will he.

It's not just about him though is it.

It's how the media companies were complicit or turned blind eyes.

Wanting a lot of sex does not excuse rape. Your dismissal is very disrespectful to any victims of genuine sexual assault.

In 2022, 67,169 rapes were recorded by police - by the end of that year, charges had been brought in 1.9 per cent of these cases (statistics supplied by Rape Crisis). So many rape apologists here on MN: is it any wonder that women don’t report these sexual crimes?

In May 2007, Brand called Jimmy Savile, who suggested the pair could meet if Brand brought along a sister. Brand doesn’t have a sister, so instead offered to bring a female employee — agreeing, on Savile’s request, that she should be naked.
“I’ve got a personal assistant,” he said. “And part of her job description is that anyone I demand she greet, meet, massages, she has to do it. She’s very attractive, Jimmy.” This was four years before Savile’s death and five years before details of the Jim’ll Fix It presenter’s crimes were exposed.

From the article. If you read to the end it does get quite a lot more disturbing.

I remember’talking’ to him on here! Years ago he came and did an AMA or Q and A whatever! I’d loved him for years, read all his books, been to see him live, but it always niggled me that he’s used women as a commodity! I asked if he was a mysoginist and he pretty much said he was ‘a product of his time’ and a bit immature and that lead to sex addiction but that he fully respected women 😢. We’ll fuck you Russell

Rape isn't sex though. Rape is a crime of power and control, exerted by one person against another. Sex is a consensual act between two adults.

Being a sex addict doesn't mean someone is naturally going to be a rapist.

Unfortunate typo in your last sentence!

We’ll fuck you Russell

No, we won't!

This is taken from the Daily Mail but the direct quotes come from his writing, I think. They are horrific. It describes what I can only read as the rape and assault of a woman who clearly didn’t want to continue

He picked up a young prostitute in Istanbul, made her cry when he broke her mobile phone against a wall while they were having sex, and then demanded a refund of his money. 'Frankly this girl was a sorry fair-weather excuse for a prostitute. Eventually she agreed to have sex but it was a kind of weary half hearted semi erect bored disappointing but of sex for which I'd paid a lot of money.' After he broke her phone he said: 'This is not looking good. I'm going to have to walk past reception in a minute, five paces behind a crying prostitute.'

When you’re having that much sex so often and as a drug addict, it’s quite likely you’re going to be dodgy about consent. It can be dodgy enough as it is.

His relationship with a 16 yr old.

Before the first time they had sex, Alice says she told him she was a virgin and claims he was instantly aroused. “He was like, ‘Oh my God, my baby, my baby’, and picked me up and cradled me in his arms like a child and was stroking my hair. He’s like, ‘You’re like my little dolly.’” She says he became “preoccupied” with her being innocent and pure.

She claims that there was a large mirror on the wall and she remembers during sex he raised his arm above his head “like this power stance, like he was conquering something”.

Over the following weeks, Brand referred to her as “the child”, asked her to read Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita and coached her on what to say to her parents when he wanted to see her, Alice says. Although Alice was over the age of consent in the UK, she and a family member who has also spoken to The Sunday Times to corroborate her story both describe Brand’s behaviour as “grooming”. Alice says he suggested how she could deceive her parents into allowing her to visit him, and claims that he gave her “scripts” on how to lie to them. She also alleges that he told her not to trust her friends and that they would “all be looking to make money from it” if she revealed she was seeing him. “It was isolating,” she said.