Russell Brand allegations: Accuser claims BBC car took her from school to star's house when she was 16
One of Russell Brand's accusers has claimed a BBC car took her from school to the star's house when she was 16 years old.
"Alice" told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour the alleged abusive relationship left her feeling "cheap and dirtied".
She went on to say Brand's denial of the accusations was "insulting", adding: "It's laughable that he would even imply that this is some kind of mainstream media conspiracy. He's not outside the mainstream."
It comes as Downing Street described the allegations against Brand as "very serious and concerning".
"Alice" said Brand groomed her, referred to her as "The Child" and assaulted her during their three-month relationship.
She told Woman's Hour that a BBC chauffer-driven car picked her up from school to take her back to Brand's house.
"He had a friend who was taking him to do his radio show so he said to me, 'You get in the car and you go wherever you need to go from there', so I took the BBC car that time," she said.
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"And on another occasion it picked me up from school... back to his house."
Alice said she told Brand she was 16 before their first date, adding: "He just replied saying, 'OK, so we're still on for dinner at 7.30?'
"He was 30. Now that I'm in my 30s looking at 16-year-olds, I can't imagine finding them sexually attractive. I can't imagine thinking of them as a potential mate in any way."
She said she would like to know why more was not done by the corporation at the time of their relationship in 2006, adding: "He had a very well-known record of doing things that were inappropriate on the air, having inappropriate conversations. I don't think he was being held to the same standards as other presenters or newsreaders.
"There were exceptions and allowances made for him and we need to ask ourselves why."
The BBC has confirmed it is "urgently looking into the issues raised".
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'I felt dirtied by the whole thing'
She said her mother tried to do everything she could to end the relationship but added: "Russell groomed me and told me to save his number in my phone as a different name. He coached me on what to say to my parents."
The woman claimed she met Brand when he was 30 and he worked as a presenter on Radio 2.
Describing her alleged abusive relationship with Brand, she said: "It's certainly had an impact on my relationships going forward... it was my first sexual experience, I felt used up, I felt cheap, I felt dirtied by the whole thing and so then I went on to have another series of relationships with people that were, for want of a better word, sleazy.
"Because I just thought if I go for bottom of the barrel I can never be disappointed and I can never be hurt because I know to expect the absolute worst."
She said she was struggling with mental health issues and recovering from an eating disorder at the time, all of which contributed to her failing to finish her A-levels.
The Sunday Times says in 2020 Alice contacted Brand's literary agent at the time, who was also the co-founder of talent agency Tavistock Wood.
A spokesperson for the agency said Brand "categorically and vehemently denied the allegations" at the time but they now believe they were "horribly misled" and have terminated all professional ties with the comedian.
Read more:What are the allegations against Russell Brand?
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More women come forward after accusations
Four women have made allegations of sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 as part of an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
The BBC said in a statement: "The documentary and associated reports contained serious allegations, spanning a number of years.
"Russell Brand worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently looking into the issues raised."
Since publication, The Times said it had been contacted by "several women" with claims about Brand, but said their allegations have not yet been investigated and "will now be rigorously checked".
Brand, 48, vehemently denies the allegations. and claimed in a video posted online on Friday night that all of his relationships have been "consensual".
Meanwhile, Brand's former manager, John Noel, said he was "very surprised" by the allegations and he never had any complaints about Brand "other than turning up late".
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Downing Street describes allegations as 'very serious and concerning'
Downing Street urged the BBC and Channel 4 to set out the results of their investigations into Brand "transparently".
The prime minister's official spokesperson said: "It's right that this is looked into and I think both of the broadcasters have said they would investigate and that is the right step.
"I'm not going to prejudge that, it will be for them to set out what they find and do so transparently."
He added: "These are very serious and concerning allegations.
"The Met Police has asked anyone who believes they have been a victim of a sexual assault to come forward to speak to officers."
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer is expected to speak to broadcasters about their investigations into Brand at the next opportunity and it was understood she will seek assurance their investigations will be conducted thoroughly and transparently.
Downing Street declined to urge broadcasters and streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix to take down Brand's output.
The prime minister's spokesperson said: "It's a decision for all broadcasters to consider the right approach in light of these very serious allegations. They are deeply concerning, they need to be investigated.
"But I'm not going to dictate the actions of broadcasters or streaming services."
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Police encourage any victim to come forward
The Metropolitan Police has responded to the accusations - saying it encourages victims of sexual assault to contact the force.
A spokesperson said: "We are aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault. At this time, we have not received any reports in relation to this.
"If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police.
"We spoke with The Sunday Times on Saturday 16 September. We will be making further approaches to The Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure that any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police."
In other developments:
• Channel 4 and production company Banijay UK have both launched investigations• Elon Musk and Andrew Tate were among those appearing to offer Brand support• Charity Trevi Women cut ties with the comedian• Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for quicker responses to such claims• A parliamentary committee said it would "closely monitor" the issue• Amnesty International said the claims were "shocking" but it received no complaints
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28 of September 2023
