Russell Brand was 'sexual predator with no remorse', victim tells court

A woman who was sexually assaulted by Russell Brand said he was a “predator” with “no remorse” for how he impacted her life, as victims shared impact statements before the disgraced celebrity was sentenced to more than ten years in jail.In 2005, Brand sexually assaulted a woman working at a radio station. She told the Southwark Crown Court on Monday: “Russell Brand is a sexual predator who has no remorse for how his behaviour has impacted my life.“I just hope that he is not allowed to hurt any more women.”She added that Brand seemed to have “forgotten” about the assault, even though it has a “lasting impact” on her. Read MoreShe said: “Since the sexual assault carried out by him in 2005, Russell Brand has managed to move on and even forget.“However, over the years hearing his voice on television, on social media or seeing his image made me jump.”She also shared she “just hope[s] that he is not allowed to hurt any more women”.Russell Brand in the dock at Southwark Crown Court(Elizabeth Cook/PA)A woman who was anally raped by Brand, then 33, at his Hampstead townhouse had to take time off work and live with her parents after the assault. She said she struggled with her mental health and alcoholism after the rape. She felt “anxious, humiliated and overwhelmed”, The Telegraph reported. The victim added: “I struggled to eat and sleep, and I found it difficult to cope with my emotions.“The impact was so significant that I had to take time away from work, and for a period I returned to live with my parents because I did not feel safe and felt unable to cope on my own.”She first met Brand after his comedy show at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. Brand picked the woman out of a crowd to join him for a threesome backstage, and she willingly went to his £2.3 million home a few days later for sex. The encounter turned from consensual sex into rape when he forcefully had anal sex with her despite her pleading with him to stop. Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison today for rape and sexual assault (James Manning/PA)She said his powerful status and fame made it difficult to challenge afterwards. She said: “I did not know who I could trust or confide in. I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed.”Another victim was sexually assaulted by Brand when she was working at Channel 4 in 2009. She was forced into giving him a massage by Brand and his team, who said he would refuse to do the recording unless she gave him a massage. She reluctantly agreed, Brand knelt down and thrust his head into her groin.She said she felt “powerless” during the incident and was “really upset” afterwards. She said: “There was a culture, at the time, which meant I felt I had to just carry on and not talk about it anymore.“Which meant I did not give myself time to lament on it, boxed it up and pushed it aside.”She said she made sure she wasn’t alone in a room at work anymore, adding: “I felt I lost my trust in people and felt that my working environment wasn’t safe.” A woman who was sexually assaulted by Brand in a Soho bar in 2004 said she was left in “complete shock and turmoil” and “extremely upset and traumatised” by the attack.She told the court from behind an anonymising curtain: “For many years, as his star was rising, it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke.“There were many times I felt visibly sick at the sight of him parading around thinking he can get away with anything.”She delivered her impact statement live behind a screen.