Russell Brand Survivors Deliver Impact Statements: The Rape ‘Affected Almost Every Aspect of My Life’

By Althea Legaspi

Althea Legaspi

Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison Monday following his conviction on rape and sexual assault charges. During the sentencing hearing, survivors of his sexual assault gave harrowing testimony.

One of the rape victims, who was anally raped in 2009 by Brand at his home one week after she met him at his show at Hammersmith Apollo, said the attack impacted her life pervasively. She had to live with her parents for some time; took time off work, which impacted her career; it seriously affected her “intimate relationships,” and also her daily life. “It’s something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending,” Her impact speech said. Her statement was read by the prosecution’s lead barrister, Riel Karmy-Jones KC, as Sky News reports.

The statement continued: “I doubt my ability to make good decisions and no longer trust my instinct in the way I did.” Brand being in the public eye made it difficult for her to speak about it. “I felt that if I reported him I would not be believed,” she said, adding, “His fame, wealth, and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.”

It has “affected almost every aspect of my life,” she continued. “Even now, I continue to experience anxiety, difficulties with trust, reduced confidence, and the lasting effects of trauma.

“What happened is not something that I have simply been able to move on from.”

Another one of the victims who Brand sexually assaulted in the summer of 2004 during a party in a bar in Soho where he grabbed her breasts, said she initially felt in “shock and turmoil” after the attack. The woman delivered her impact statement herself in court.

She said, via Sky News, that she “literally lost any love for myself for a long time, thinking I was damaged goods” and that turmoil over what she “should” or “could” do has remained with her for more than 20 years. Seeing Brand in the press made her feel “physically sick” while he was “parading around thinking he can get away with anything.”

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She told the court, “It really affected how I viewed myself, I didn’t have any respect for myself and got into situations with toxic men as I didn’t have any self-worth.

“For many years, as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behavior against women like it was all a joke,” she continued.

As she read her impact statement, Brand reportedly did not show emotion. “Seeing the front pages of the newspaper talking about what happened to me caused me to have the only panic attack I’ve ever had in my life,” she added. “It was a truly terrifying experience.

“Even more terrifying was seeing my character be torn apart on social media by people believing all of us women were making it up.”

The woman voiced concerns about her identity being revealed as she has been receiving “accusations and death threats from manic supporters” on social media, which have “installed a genuine fear that my name will somehow get out there and some crazy person will come after me or my family.’

A jury in London found Brand guilty on four of the seven charges against him, including one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was found not guilty on two additional counts of rape, as well as one count of attempted indecent assault. The allegations against him were tied to claims made by six women between 1999 and 2009.

Judge Mr Justice Bennathan, who presided over the trial and sentencing, commended the victims for their “determination and bravery” for presenting evidence at the trial. He also nodded to the Metropolitan Police for taking “great care” of the victims and for their “hard work” collecting evidence.

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