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Warning: This report cites reports of rape and sexual assault
Jemima Goldsmith, Russell Brand's ex-girlfriend, accused the British comedian of "violence, coercive control and abuse" during their time together.
Goldsmith, who dated the artist for about a year around 2014, reported that she "had to call the police to remove him from her home in 2014 during a violent incident" but chose not to file a formal complaint.
In a long statement on social media, Goldsmith, 52, said she was "in awe of the courage of the women who spoke out" and said she felt "happy and relieved" that he had "finally faced justice."
Brand, 51, was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison on Monday (9/11), after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
He was found guilty of raping a woman in his home in 2009, as well as three counts of sexual assault against three other women.
During the hearing, the judge said Brand demonstrated an "arrogant and casual disregard for any woman's right to tell him 'no,'" adding that because of his fame, he believed he "could act as he pleased, whenever he pleased."
TV producer Goldsmith is also the ex-wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricketer Imran Khan, daughter of the late billionaire businessman James Goldsmith and sister of Zac Goldsmith, a former Conservative government minister.
A mother of two, she said she chose not to seek legal action against Brand in relation to the alleged violent incident in 2014, as she was "concerned about the impact of the press attention on her children, who were teenagers at the time".
On Monday evening, she wrote on social media site
Goldsmith said he has not seen or spoken to Brand since 2014, but said he helped the journalists who revealed the allegations against him, making himself available to testify about his "abusive" behavior if they were prosecuted.
In her statement, she also addressed reports of a court order obtained by her and Brand in October 2015 that prevented a woman, Szilvia Berki, from harassing them — which included making allegations that Brand had committed an assault at Goldsmith's home the previous year.
Regarding this episode, Goldsmith stated, on Monday, that Berki was at her house for around 30 minutes, on June 7, 2014, to give Brand a massage — something that, according to her, ended up not happening.
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Goldsmith said Berki later told police that Brand pushed her in the back as she was leaving and that she was attacked by Goldsmith's dog. Brand's ex-girlfriend stated that she "didn't see anything unusual" during the encounter.
She added that after presenting a statement and security camera footage, the police concluded that there were no grounds to pursue the case.
Goldsmith accused Berki of then sending a series of "cruel, anti-Semitic and threatening" messages, in addition to publishing "absurd and false allegations" about him on social media.
She reported that she accepted Brand's lawyer's suggestion to request a judicial measure to stop the harassment. On Monday, she stated that recent media coverage of this court action has exposed her to "vile hatred and online abuse."
Rosamund Urwin, chief correspondent for the Sunday Times – who participated in a journalistic investigation into Brand in 2023 – told the BBC that Goldsmith helped her "a lot".
"I've been following the abuse she's suffered online and I've tried to explain to people that this part of the story is much more complex than they realize," Urwin said.
"I would like people to remember that women who decide to come forward are brave. And that's exactly what she did: she spoke with immense courage about how Russell Brand treated her," she added.
At Brand's sentencing hearing, testimony was presented about the impact suffered by the women he was accused of assaulting.
One reported being "shaken and traumatized" for years after the incident, adding: "I had no respect for myself. It was like I was 'broken,' afraid of giving signals that could be taken the wrong way."
The woman he was found guilty of raping said the trauma is something she has to "carry every day".
A van, which Brand is believed to be in, was seen arriving at HMP Wandsworth prison in London on Monday following the sentencing hearing.
The guidelines establish that offenders sentenced to sentences of four years or more for certain serious crimes — violent or sexual in nature — may be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence. In Brand's case, that would correspond to seven years.
After release, he is likely to serve the remainder of his sentence on parole, subject to specific rules, such as the use of an electronic ankle bracelet.
The artist was found guilty of charges involving four women, which occurred between 2004 and 2009, at the end of a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, in London.
He was acquitted of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent exposure.
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