Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Channel 4 has responded after one of Russell Brand’s victims slammed the broadcaster for failing to properly investigation allegations of sexual assault made against the comedian.
Brand was jailed for ten and a half years yesterday, 9 November, after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four different women.
One of the victims accused Channel 4 of ‘brushing her allegation under the carpet’ in her victim impact statement, read out by the prosecution in court during sentencing of the comedian.
Brand had been working on a Channel 4 project in 2009 when he sexually assaulted a woman by placing his head in her groin area and insisting she give him a massage. Brand was found guilty of this incident in court.
Russell Brand was convicted to 10.5 years in prison (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
She claims that she reported this assault to her line manager and did not feel there was a culture in which she felt comfortable talking about the allegation.
She said in her victim impact statement: “Immediately after the incident, I spoke up, and sadly it was brushed under the carpet by senior management,” she said. “This really affected me and had something similar happened again, at the time, I know I would not have had the confidence to speak up again.
“There was a culture, at the time, which meant I felt I had to just carry on and not talk about it anymore.”
The victim also stated that she felt she needed other colleagues around when working with people she didn’t know as a direct result of the incident.
Channel 4 have apologised for a ‘failure’ in their investigation into an allegation against Brand (Zeynep Demir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Channel 4 told LADbible in response to these allegations: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the women involved in this case. We recognise the profound impact of these crimes and commend the extraordinary courage of those who gave evidence. Channel 4’s 2024 internal investigation found that the serious allegation made by a former employee in 2009 was not escalated to senior management (i.e. the CEO, Executive Team and Management) or investigated as it should have been.
“We apologised to her for that failure and for the distress this matter has caused, and we reiterate that apology today. Since that time, Channel 4 has significantly strengthened the measures we have in place, including clearer routes for people to raise concerns confidentially, greater expectations on our suppliers to make it easier for people to report inappropriate behaviour and a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour.
“We remain committed to listening, learning and taking steps to ensure that people working at Channel 4 and on our commissions are treated with dignity and respect.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
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