Russell Brand victim says Channel 4 bosses brushed her assault complaint 'under the carpet'

A woman who said Russell Brand sexually assaulted her during a Channel 4 recording session in 2009 has told Southwark Crown Court that senior managers brushed her complaint aside. She said the response left her feeling powerless and unable to trust that her workplace was safe.

The woman’s victim impact statement was read to the court on Monday, 9 November 2026, during a sentencing hearing for Brand. She said she had spoken up immediately after the incident, but that her concerns were not properly addressed by senior management.

According to her statement, two members of Brand’s entourage told her he was unhappy and would not continue recording unless she gave him a massage. She said that after she reluctantly agreed, Brand knelt down and thrust his head into her groin.

She described feeling upset in the aftermath and said the experience affected her confidence and working relationships. For years afterwards, she was wary of being alone in a room with colleagues and made a point of having another person present in professional settings.

The woman told the court that the response to her complaint reinforced a feeling that she had to carry on without discussing what happened. She said she had not felt able to speak up again if a similar incident had occurred at the time.

Channel 4 has acknowledged that the complaint was mishandled in 2009. Brand continued to appear on programmes for the broadcaster until 2019, according to the account of the hearing.

The statement also described the longer-term impact on her sense of safety. She said she became more cautious around people she did not know and felt she had lost trust in others. She told the court that she felt she had no control during the incident and that this affected her confidence afterwards.

The hearing took place at Southwark Crown Court in London. Brand had been convicted before the sentencing hearing; the court was hearing from victims about the effects of the offences as it considered sentence.

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