A woman has testified at Southwark Crown Court alleging that comedian Russell Brand sexually assaulted and raped her in 2004 at a bar in Soho, central London. The testimony is part of a wider trial where Brand, 51, faces multiple charges, including three counts of rape, three sexual assaults, and one indecent assault involving six women, with alleged incidents spanning a decade from 1999 to 2009. Brand denies all charges and maintains that any sexual encounters were consensual.

The complainant, who was in her twenties at the time, recounted in an emotional police interview played to jurors how Brand, known for his work on television and radio, began the encounter by grabbing her breasts shortly after they met at a birthday party. She described Brand’s expression as a "weird maniacal grin" resembling a clown’s and said she was shocked by the sudden contact.

She alleges that Brand then forcibly dragged her into a locked toilet, where she says he orally raped her despite her protests. The woman recalled the lavatory floor being flooded and hearing a man knock on the door, asking if she was all right. She said she felt numb and disoriented as Brand casually exited the toilet afterward, suggesting they swap contact numbers as if nothing unusual had occurred.

The woman also testified that following the incident, she was compelled to enter Brand’s car, which had two men in the front seats, where Brand allegedly exposed himself to her again. She said she declined his advances in the car, and he took no further action after she refused.

In her police interview, the complainant explained her reasons for coming forward nearly two decades later, citing feelings of shame and fear of not being believed at the time, given Brand’s celebrity status and the prevailing “lad culture” of the early 2000s. She said the media reports of other allegations against Brand influenced her decision to report the assault in 2023. The woman noted that initially, she disclosed some details to a friend and colleague, referring to Brand as a “sexual predator.”

During cross-examination, Brand’s barrister questioned why the woman had not reported the incident earlier, including during the #MeToo movement, and suggested that she might have willingly entered the toilet, possibly expecting a consensual interaction. The woman denied these suggestions, stating that she was not excited or charmed by Brand and that the assault happened within minutes of their first meeting.

The case continues as the court hears further evidence.