Russell Brand saved the phone number of a woman he raped under the name ‘T’ – short for ‘Tart’ – adding two stars beside her name in his contacts.
The disturbing discovery was revealed during the comedian’s trial at Southwark Crown Court, where jurors heard evidence about how he recorded the details of women he encountered.
The woman, who was 21 at the time of the attack, was identified by the coded entry nearly 17 years after the incident.
She was among the women who gave evidence against the former television and radio presenter.
Brand was found guilty of raping the woman, referred to during proceedings as ‘T’, and sexually assaulting three other women following a month-long trial.
Victim Met Brand After Being Selected From Audience
The incident began in 2009 when the 21-year-old attended a performance at the Hammersmith Apollo.
Brand, then 33, pointed at her from a line of fans in the venue’s foyer and selected her alongside a teenager for a threesome.
The woman, who had been a fan of the comedian, accepted his invitation and went for drinks with him before being taken backstage.
She performed oral sex on Brand before he had sexual intercourse with the 19-year-old woman.
However, she later described feeling deeply uncomfortable about the encounter.
“I came out feeling f****** awful.
The scenario was not something I had been in before, it was kind of disgusting,” she recalled.
She subsequently told her boyfriend what had happened, and their relationship ended.
Brand Promised to Help Her Before Raping Her
Following the breakdown of her relationship, Brand continued communicating with the woman through text messages.
In one exchange, he promised to support her, writing: “I will hold you and help you.”
However, when she later visited his £2.3million home in Hampstead, she was raped in his bedroom.
The woman told the court that Brand pushed her face-down into a pillow beneath a framed crucifix.
She said she had not agreed to what happened and described experiencing severe pain during the assault.
“I felt like I could not speak and breathe. The amount of pain.
I was not aware that he was going to do that, there was not any conversation,” she told the court.
She said she initially asked him quietly to stop before repeating her request more loudly.
According to her testimony, Brand responded: “I want you to feel my c***.”
Afterwards, the bleeding woman said Brand instructed her to “clean up the mess you have made” while he watched television.
She was later escorted out of the property by members of staff.
A driver handed her tissues during the journey home as she cried.
Assault Left Woman Struggling With Depression and Alcohol
The victim told police that she had been treated “like an animal” during the incident.
She described the experience as one of the most painful events of her life and said its effects continued for years.
“In the years that followed, I tortured myself because it was one of the most painful experiences I have ever gone through,” she said.
She also described feeling “small and powerless” following the assault.
The woman subsequently experienced difficulties with eating and sleeping before developing an addiction to alcohol.
When questioned during the trial about stains found on his bedsheets following the incident, Brand said he had a vague recollection but did not consider anything remarkable at the time.
Other Women Described Similar Attacks
Evidence presented during the trial also included allegations involving other women dating back several years.
Five years before the 2009 rape, Brand groped a woman shortly after meeting her at a bar in London’s West End.
In another incident in 2005, he groped a stranger during what was described in court as a frenzied and violent attack at a radio station.
A journalist also described being pinned against a wall and kissed forcefully by Brand while he fondled her breasts inside a cramped radio booth.
Three other men and a woman were present during that incident but did not intervene.
The accounts presented during the proceedings included incidents in television studios, radio stations and bars, with witnesses describing how Brand pursued women despite their objections.
Brand Boasted About His Sexual Ambitions
Jurors also heard evidence about Brand’s comments concerning his sexual encounters and approach to women.
The comedian reportedly told friends that he wanted to sleep with 5,000 women during his lifetime.
He allegedly explained his approach by saying: “All you have to do is tell them what they need to hear.”
At his live performances, Brand also openly invited female audience members who were attracted to him to approach him.
He reportedly told audiences that his preferred age range extended “from 16 to death”.
The comedian also described his world as an “amusement park made out of orgasms”.
Evidence about his behaviour and interactions with women formed part of the prosecution’s case during the trial.
Detective Inspector Explains Investigation
Detective Inspector Laura Nelson, who led the investigation, discussed the case following Brand’s conviction.
In an interview with reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull, who attended the trial, she explained why the women who accused Brand in an earlier documentary were not involved in the rape proceedings.
The trial ultimately resulted in Brand being convicted of raping ‘T’ and sexually assaulting three other women.
The evidence included accounts of the incidents, the women’s experiences afterwards and details recovered during the investigation, including the phone contact entry used to identify the youngest rape victim.
