Jemima Goldsmith accuses Russell Brand of abuse after his sentencing
Brand's former partner describes a violent 2014 incident and says she chose not to report it at the time.
Key points
- Jemima Goldsmith says Russell Brand was violent and abusive towards her while they were together.
- She says she called police in 2014 to have Brand removed from her home and did not press charges.
- Brand received a prison term of 10.5 years on Monday after convictions for rape and sexual assault.
- Goldsmith also addressed a harassment injunction involving Szilvia Berki, whose account the reports describe differently.
Jemima Goldsmith, a former partner of entertainer Russell Brand, has said he was violent and abusive towards her while they were together. According to the BBC, she made the claims in a long social media statement published after Brand was sentenced. The Guardian also reported her remarks.
What Goldsmith says happened
Goldsmith, a 52-year-old TV producer, said she had been forced to contact police in 2014 so that Brand would leave her house during a violent episode. She decided not to press charges and did not speak about it publicly. Her reason was concern about how press attention might affect her teenage children at the time.
Goldsmith has said she has had no contact with Brand since 2014. She described her own experience as painful, but stressed that it was far less serious than what the women who testified against him had endured.
The sentence and the verdicts
Brand, 51, received a term of 10.5 years in custody on Monday, the BBC reported. The Guardian said he had been found guilty on Thursday of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009. The two outlets give slightly different details about the dates and locations of the offences, so the precise findings are best checked against official court records.
The Guardian reported that Brand was cleared of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. At the hearing, the judge said Brand had shown a casual disregard for women’s right to refuse him. The judge also said his fame had led him to believe he could act however he liked. Victim impact statements were read, and one woman said she had felt damaged for years after the incident.
The 2014 injunction
Goldsmith also responded to renewed reporting about a harassment injunction that she and Brand obtained against a woman named Szilvia Berki. The BBC said the injunction was taken out in October 2015. It barred Berki from harassing the couple, including by making allegations about an alleged assault at Goldsmith’s home the year before. The Guardian said the injunction dated from 2014, so the reports do not agree on the year.
Goldsmith said Berki came to her home for around half an hour on 7 June 2014, supposedly to offer Brand a massage, though Goldsmith said that never happened. Berki later told police that Brand had pushed her and that Goldsmith’s dog had attacked her. Goldsmith said she witnessed nothing improper, and she said police found no case to answer after reviewing a statement and CCTV footage. She also claimed Berki later sent threatening messages and posted claims about her online. The Guardian said it had not been able to reach Berki for comment.
The Guardian reported that the injunction was brought to light by the campaigning thinktank Tax Policy Associates after Brand’s conviction. Goldsmith said coverage of the injunction had exposed her to severe online hatred and abuse.
Why the statement matters
Goldsmith said she had helped journalists who exposed Brand in 2023, including through a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and reporting in the Times and Sunday Times. Rosamund Urwin, a Sunday Times chief news correspondent who worked on that investigation, told the BBC that Goldsmith had helped her a great deal. Urwin said Goldsmith had been receiving abuse online and that she had tried to explain the story’s complexity.
Goldsmith also said she would be willing to give evidence about Brand’s conduct should the paper that printed the accounts from his accusers face a lawsuit. The BBC said a vehicle thought to be carrying Brand had been spotted pulling up at HMP Wandsworth in London on Monday.
Frequently asked questions
What did Jemima Goldsmith accuse Russell Brand of?
Goldsmith said Brand was violent and abusive towards her while they were together. She said she had to call police in 2014 to have him removed from her home during a violent incident.
What sentence did Russell Brand receive?
According to the BBC, Brand received a prison term of 10.5 years on Monday. He had been convicted of rape and sexual assault.
Sources
- BBC News: Russell Brand's ex Jemima Goldsmith accuses him of violence and abuse against her
- The Guardian: Jemima Goldsmith says ex-partner Russell Brand physically assaulted her
This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
