Russell Brand victim says sexual assault left her feeling powerless

A Channel 4 employee has told Southwark Crown Court that her complaint after a 2009 sexual assault by Russell Brand was “brushed under the carpet” by senior management. She said the incident left her feeling powerless and made it difficult to trust colleagues.

The woman’s victim impact statement was read to the court on Monday, 9 November 2026, during Brand’s sentencing hearing. She said she had spoken up immediately after the incident, but felt the workplace culture at the time meant she had to carry on without discussing it further.

She described being upset by what happened and said she had pushed the experience aside rather than taking time to process it. In her statement, she said she would not have felt able to speak up again had a similar incident occurred at the time.

The assault took place during a recording session in a studio where she was working alongside Brand and members of his entourage. The court heard that two members of the entourage, Jack Bayles and Gareth Roy, told her Brand was unhappy and would not continue recording until she gave him a massage. After she reluctantly agreed to continue the session, Brand knelt and thrust his head into her groin.

The woman said the experience left her wary of something similar happening again. She told the court that she lost trust in people and felt her working environment was not safe.

Channel 4 has acknowledged that it handled her complaint poorly in 2009. Brand continued to appear on the broadcaster’s programmes until 2019, according to the court coverage.

The statement was delivered as Brand faced sentencing after being convicted by a jury at Southwark Crown Court. Reuters and France 24 reported that he was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women, for offences between 2004 and 2009. The reporting also said he was acquitted of other charges; those acquittals are distinct from the convictions.

At the sentencing hearing, prosecutors described the impact of the offences on victims. The judge had warned after the verdicts that Brand faced a significant custodial term.

The Channel 4 employee’s statement focused on the consequences of the assault and how management dealt with her complaint. She said that, at the time, she felt expected to continue working and not speak about what had happened. Her account also described the lasting effect on her sense of safety among colleagues.

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