Russell Brand accuser claims she was ‘picked up from school by cars BBC paid for’
The BBC are “urgently looking into the issues raised” after the allegations were published on Saturday
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A woman has claimed that BBC cars had collected her from school to transport her to Russell Brand’s house when she was 16 years old.
Alice* told BBC Radio Four Woman’s Hour on Monday that she had been taken in a chauffeur-driven car on two occasions in 2006 while she was in a three month relationship with the presenter.
Brand was 30 years-old at the time of the alleged relationship with the then-schoolgirl. The 48-year-old has vehemently denied the allegations against him, which include a sexual assault against Alice.
“The BBC would arrange cars for him so I’d seen him previously being picked up by this car,” she said. “It was a chauffeur-driven car, it was different to just calling a cab.
“He had a friend taking him to do his radio show so he said ‘you go in the car and go wherever you need to go from there’ so I took the BBC car that time. On another occasion a BBC car picked me up from school to go back to his house.”
The woman claims that during her alleged relationship with the radio presenter, he had “coached” her into lying to her parents and told her to save his number under a different name.
She also alleged that Brand’s management advised him not to be seen with her, as it was “not a good idea” given her age and that it was suggested she pretend to be his god-daughter or niece.
“Because people know he was an only child, they said ‘why don’t you just meet inside?’,” she said. “You’re not doing anything illegal but because people disapprove, we just don’t risk being seen out and about publicly. We would go in and out the house at different times.”
In an interview with The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, she claimed her relationship with Brand became emotionally abusive before she was sexually assaulted.
Following the publications of the allegations, the BBC has said it is “urgently looking into the issues raised” while Brand was a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.
Asked what she would want from the corporation, Alice says she’d like to know why more was not done at the time of their relationship in 2006.
“He had a very well known record of doing things that were inappropriate on the air, he had inappropriate conversations.”
She added that she didn’t think Brand was being held to the same standards as other BBC presenters or newsreaders.
“There were exceptions and allowances made for him and we need to ask ourselves why,” she said.
Brand is also accused of raping a woman at his home in Los Angeles, sexually assaulting a colleague and engaging in controlling behaviour. It was alleged that his behaviour was an “open secret” in the TV industry and that former production staff were made to feel like “pimps” by approaching women on his behalf.
In a video posted ahead of the allegations being published, Brand refuted the claims and said his relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
He described them as a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks” from the “mainstream media” which he “absolutely refutes”.
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.