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Russell Brand faces bombshell new abuse allegation from ex-girlfriend just hours after being sentenced for rape
Russell Brand is now facing a new abuse allegation from his former girlfriend just hours after the comedian was sentenced to more than a decade in prison for rape and sexual assault.
On Monday (November 9), the 51-year-old was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison after being found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
The offenses took place between 2004 and 2009. Brand was also acquitted of two further rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
Jemima Goldsmith alleges she called police during violent incident
Hours after his sentencing, Jemima Goldsmith, who dated Brand from around September 2013 to 2014, accused him of "violence, coercive control and abuse" in an explosive post shared on X.
"I am in awe of the courageous women who came forward at Brand’s trial, told their stories, testified and ensured justice was done," she penned. "I have had my own personal experience of his violence, coercive control and abuse."
The 52-year-old film producer recalled allegedly calling police to have the former radio presenter removed from her home during a violent incident back in 2014.
"I chose not to press charges at the time and not to go public with this, as I was worried about the impact of the press attention on my then-teenage children," she continued.
"I have neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014. Whilst my pain in relation to this pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered, this was a difficult period in my life, which has had a lasting impact," she said.
Goldsmith, who also goes by Jemima Khan, praised the "courageous woman" who testified against her ex and "ensured justice was done".
She revealed that she helped Channel 4, The Times of London, and The Sunday Times with their reporting on Brand in 2023.
The allegations published at that time were significant in women pursuing criminal proceedings against Brand, ultimately leading to his conviction last week.
"I also undertook to testify in court to his abusiveness, if the newspaper that published the victims’ accounts were ever to be sued," she wrote.
Goldsmith addresses controversial harassment injunction involving Brand
The screenwriter also used the post to comment on reporting and online commentary regarding a harassment injunction she and Brand obtained against a woman in 2014.
She said the reporting presented "an untrue narrative" and led to her experiencing "vile hatred and abuse online".
"The background to this is that [the woman] came to my house for roughly 30 minutes in June 2014, after I booked her to give a massage to Brand. By the time she arrived he had decided he didn’t want a massage and asked her to leave. She was clearly offended," she said.
"I was present the whole time he was with her, and I did not see anything untoward, despite the fact that he was later found guilty of sexually assaulting other women and he later physically assaulted me. If I saw any man abuse any woman under any circumstances, I would do my utmost to stop them, without hesitation."
Goldsmith alleged that the woman reported Brand to the police, but cops said that "there was no case to answer and that no criminal offense had been committed."
She also claimed that the woman then sent "vicious antisemitic and threatening abuse online and in emails".
"Although I was at this point no longer in contact with Brand, I agreed to the suggestion by his lawyer of a harassment order. My sole reason was to stop [the woman] targeting me and my family. The harassment injunction was upheld by the High Court and Court of Appeal on several occasions," she concluded.
Russell Brand's wife reportedly struggles during emotional sentencing
Brand married Laura Gallacher in 2017, and they have three kids together.
As the disgraced comedian was sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, Laura was reportedly seen struggling to contain her emotions in the courtroom.
According to Sky News, the 39-year-old was "shaking a little" and breathing deeply as she sat with two female friends.
Moments after Justice Bennathan delivered the lengthy sentence, she was reportedly spotted mouthing: "I love you, I'll be OK" to Brand. And when Brand was taken away by guards, he reportedly nodded at her and said: "We’ll be OK."
Earlier in the hearing, Gallacher was reportedly seen shaking her head as one of the women Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting delivered an emotional victim impact statement.
The woman, who was assaulted by Brand in a Soho bar in 2004, told the court she had been left "extremely upset and traumatized" by the attack.
She also revealed that she has received death threats from his "manic supporters" and feels like her life was "on hold" while waiting for the opportunity to speak publicly about her experience.
"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," she shared. "There were many times I felt visibly sick at the sight of him parading around thinking he can get away with anything."
Another victim also spoke out about the heartbreaking consequences of Brand's actions.
The woman, who was sexually assaulted by Brand at a radio station in 2005, said the incident had a "lasting impact" on her life.
"Russell Brand has managed to move on and even forget that he sexually assaulted me violently in a very public place and in front of people," she said, adding that the actor 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."
A third woman, whom Brand was convicted of raping in 2009, described how the assault had affected her personal and professional life, revealing that the impact was so severe that she had to take time off work and return to live with her parents.
The woman told the court that she continues to carry the trauma "every day, and it often feels never-ending".
"I hope the court can understand the large and overarching impact this has had on me, and continues to have on me to this day," she told the court.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that investigations remain ongoing into two further allegations of rape involving Brand.