Friends, family and a nurse told jurors in the Russell Brand trial that a woman identified as Complainant 5 was “extremely distressed” and in pain after what she described as an anal rape by Brand in 2009, Deadline reported. The court heard from nine witnesses Thursday, the ninth day of the trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court. Some testified in person, while others’ written statements were read aloud. Each described what the woman told them in the days, weeks and months after she visited Brand’s home.
Complainant 5, known in court as C5, alleges that the comedian and actor Russell Brand penetrated her anally without consent after the two had consensual vaginal sex. She says Brand turned her onto all fours, removed his condom and kept going after she asked him to stop. Brand has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges he faces: three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault, involving six women between 1999 and 2009.
What Witnesses Said In Court
One friend said C5 was “very shocked” after the encounter, had not agreed to anal sex, was in a lot of pain and had asked Brand to stop. A second friend recalled C5 telling her directly that Brand “was quite aggressive, he forcibly put it in my bum, and it really really hurt.”
A third witness did not appear in person. Her statement, read to jurors by the prosecution, described C5 as being in physical pain and lying “all scrunched up” in the days that followed. A fourth witness said C5 looked “ashen” and ill, told her she had been raped and urged her to go to police, according to Deadline. Statements from C5’s parents, whom she visited soon after, were also read in court.
Earlier testimony laid out how the two met. C5 saw Brand perform at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009, the pair swapped numbers and she went to his north London home a few days later.
Medical Visit And Nurse’s Statement
Worried she might have contracted a blood-borne virus, C5 went to a sexual health clinic for testing. The nurse who treated her gave a written statement, which a prosecution lawyer read aloud. According to the nurse, C5 said Brand “had anal sex without a condom and she didn’t want that and didn’t consent to that.”
Brand’s Response
Brand denies all the allegations. When interviewed by police, he declined to answer questions and relied on a prepared statement saying any sexual contact with the women was consensual, Deadline previously reported. He is expected to present his defense later in the trial.
What It Means And What’s Next
Thursday’s testimony gave jurors accounts from people C5 confided in over time, from close friends to a nurse she had never met before. The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court, and no verdict has been reached. Readers can catch up on earlier proceedings in Total Apex Entertainment’s coverage of the Russell Brand trial.
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