MTV Worker Testifies Brand Tried to Pull Her Into Toilet

A former MTV worker told a London court that Russell Brand grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into a toilet in 2001, an allegation he denies as he stands trial on seven sex-offence charges. The woman, one of six complainants in the case, said the encounter occurred at MTV’s London offices after she showed Brand where the toilets were. She testified that he seized her forearm and urged her to come inside. She said she pulled away and the incident lasted about 20 seconds. The witness described Brand’s manner as changing from friendly to forceful. She told the court she asked him what he was doing and told him to let go. She said she freed herself and was left confused by what had happened. Her account was testimony about an alleged encounter, not a court finding. Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter, suggested during cross-examination that Brand had sought consensual sexual activity, stopped when the woman refused and left the matter there. He also questioned whether she had reinterpreted the incident after watching a 2023 documentary about Brand. The woman rejected that suggestion, saying she had always considered the conduct wrong and that pulling someone by the arm was not...