A former aide says Brand’s compulsive sexual habits and dismissive attitude towards women created a toxic work environment.
At Southwark Crown Court the comedian Russell Brand faces three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one charge of indecent assault. While the trial proceeds, his former personal assistant, Helen Berger, has taken the stand, claiming she witnessed the star “treat women poorly” during the months she worked for him.
Berger’s tenure spanned from June 2006 to February 2007, a period when Brand was a high-profile figure on MTV, Channel 4 and the BBC. Employed through agent John Noel, she was regularly dispatched to Brand’s Camden flat in north London, where she handled press-clippings, arranged interviews and, at times, collected phone numbers from female fans – a task she later found unsettling.
Brand’s alleged sexual conduct and online hunting
During cross-examination, Berger painted a vivid portrait of a man driven by “insane sexual appetite”. She recalled that Brand frequently turned to MySpace to locate women for casual encounters, noting, “At his house, women often came over and it was clear they were there for sex.” She likened him to “a peacock, women would always approach him,” emphasizing the ease with which strangers were drawn into his orbit.
Public displays of intimacy and unsettling incidents
Berger recounted several moments that illustrated Brand’s disregard for professional decorum. In one instance, actress Sadie Frost was interviewed while Brand dressed only in his pants and an open robe, a scene Berger described as “he did the whole interview in his underwear, no shirt, and an open robe.” She also remembered stumbling upon a female celebrity asleep in Brand’s bed while he roamed the house half-dressed, and she recalled a crass joke he made when deadlines loomed: “May I go and have sex now?” Moreover, Berger testified that she once had to escort Brand’s mother and girlfriend away from a dressing-room after they inadvertently entered while he was having sex with another woman.
Workplace culture of normalisation and personal burnout
Berger stressed that the environment around Brand actively “normalised” his behaviour. She said, “Though I’ve worked with a lot of celebrities before and seen a lot of people normalising bad behaviour, this was on another level.” The assistant added, “Normalising and dismissing Russell’s behaviour made me think, ‘this is just the way it is here.’” The constant pressure to manage her own emotions while navigating Brand’s erratic mood left her “exhausted, emotional, and it was a lot to deal with.” After refusing to continue gathering fan phone numbers, she eventually quit after nine months, stating she was “sick of him and feeling burned out.”
She also observed that, despite his prolific sexual activity, “He never seemed happy after sex, more so depressed.” This paradox, combined with his relentless pursuit of new encounters, contributed to an atmosphere that many close to him appeared to accept without question.
The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, informed the jury that the prosecution’s case was nearly complete and that the defence would begin presenting its arguments on Tuesday at lunchtime. Brand continues to deny all accusations, while the court awaits further testimony that could illuminate the alleged pattern of misconduct.
