Freshly surfaced footage from more than a decade ago appears to show Russell Brand taking hold of a woman’s arm while speaking in Parliament before accusing another guest of flirting with her.
The 2012 hearing recording captures Brand holding the woman’s arm for about four seconds as she attempted to walk past him.
After she freed herself and continued through the room, the comedian joked that another man attending the hearing had been flirting with her.
Brand appeared before the Home Affairs Select Committee to discuss drug policy. During the session, he joked with Labour politicians about his “occasional skirmishes” with crime and mocked a Conservative MP who raised the experiences of victims.
He had been invited to give evidence by Keith Vaz, the former Labour minister who chaired the committee.
Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10 years and six months in prison after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
A jury found him guilty days earlier of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. He was acquitted of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
During the 2012 session, Brand interrupted Chip Somers, a former drug addict and recovery specialist, as two women attempted to walk behind him.
Russell Brand addressing the Home Affairs Select Committee on drug policy in 2012
The 2012 footage appears to show Brand holding a woman’s arm for four seconds as she tried to pass him
Former drug addict and recovery specialist Chip Somers was speaking when Brand interrupted as two women moved behind him
“This lady needs to get by. Sorry, love,” Brand said. Mr Somers replied: “I was right in the middle of my answer then.”
Brand then took hold of the woman’s arm. When Mr Somers said he had lost his train of thought, Brand responded: “That is because he was flirting with them two.”
Later in the hearing, Sir Michael Ellis KC, a former Conservative MP and attorney general, asked Brand: “What about the victims of the crime?”
“We talked about them,” Brand replied. “We talked about them. You can tell what party they are in from their questions, can’t you?”
Appearing to imitate Sir Michael, Brand repeated: “What about the victims of the crime?”
The remark prompted laughter in the Commons hearing. Sir Michael answered: “I think all parties are interested in victims of crime.”
Brand also joked about how he had managed to stop his criminal behaviour, saying: “It wasn’t until I had access to abstinence-based recovery that I was able to change my behaviour and significantly reduce, all but obliterate, my criminal activity, apart from the occasional skirmish.”
Speaking to The Telegraph this week, Sir Michael said he remembered the exchange and described Brand as “rather rude”.
He said: “I was a barrister in criminal practice for 17 years before becoming an MP in 2010, and I had seen first-hand the effects of drugs on victims as well as defendants.
“Brand seemed at the height of his popularity at the time of that committee hearing in 2012, and he was immensely popular – particularly with Labour MPs – but I didn’t think it was right not to put the other side of the argument to him.
“Labour MPs seemed very friendly to him, but I pushed back and had no compunction in putting the [victims’] side to him. I recall his response simply being rather rude.”
British comedian and actor Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Pictured: Brand leaving Southwark Crown Court in south London on October 30
READ MORE: Urgent Warning as Teens Turn to Cancer Drugs for Heightmaxxing
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has accused Ed Miliband of being “ashamed” of “cosying up” to Brand in an effort to win political support.
Mrs Badenoch used Prime Minister’s Questions to criticise the Foreign Secretary, who has so far not commented on his decision to court the comedian’s supporters.
Mr Miliband recorded an interview with Brand in the comedian’s flat ahead of the 2015 general election, when he was Labour leader.
The conversation was published online as part of Brand’s show The Trews, during his ultimately unsuccessful campaign to persuade young voters to support his political ambitions.
Hi, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and three sexual assaults, while our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull followed every day of the case at Southwark Crown Court. They are now examining the case in greater depth, speaking with detectives involved in the investigation, lawyers specialising in sexual offences and psychologists studying the impact on victims.
Subscribe to The Crime Desk to hear the podcast HERE
During PMQs on Wednesday, Mrs Badenoch also attacked Mr Miliband – who is attending the Cop31 environment summit in Turkey – over his refusal to approve the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea while serving as energy secretary.
“He called Rosebank ‘climate vandalism’, but then he also thought cosying up to Russell Brand would make him prime minister,” she said.
“So, I don’t think we need to trust his judgment.”
Labour MPs responded by shouting “shame”.
Mrs Badenoch replied: “They’re saying ‘shame’ – they’re right. The Foreign Secretary should be ashamed.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham did not respond directly to the criticism of Mr Miliband during the session.
Instead, he said: “We will take a further decision on Rosebank in due course, as well as building a renewable energy future.”
Downing Street later defended Mr Miliband, echoing Education Secretary Lucy Powell’s claim that the interview had taken place “a long time ago”.
Ms Powell, who was vice chairwoman of Labour’s 2015 election campaign, said earlier this week that the recording was made in a “different era”, when Brand had a “powerful platform”.
She was mocked after saying, “We weren’t in the social media age at the time,” making it difficult to obtain information about public figures. Mr Miliband’s interview, however, was intended to benefit from Brand’s substantial online following.
Asked whether the Foreign Secretary should address his past dealings with Brand, the Prime Minister’s political spokesman said: “The Prime Minister was asked about this on Friday in an interview with the BBC.
“As he said, it’s not always the case that people know everything about people in public life, but what is important is where there is wrongdoing, it is exposed.
“The PM also praised the bravery of the victims, saying credit to the victims, huge credit for the courage it’s taken, but also for the journalists that have exposed this.”
Asked whether Mr Burnham had sought an explanation from Mr Miliband about his contact with Brand, the spokesman referred reporters back to Ms Powell’s comments from earlier in the week. The interview took place after Brand had been dismissed from his BBC Radio 2 show for leaving a series of obscene messages on actor Andrew Sachs’s answering machine concerning a romantic relationship with his granddaughter.
- How did Russell Brand become a predator, and what happens next? Get exclusive analysis from The Crime Desk as we speak with police officers, psychologists, lawyers and more. Sign up here.