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TV producer Jemima Goldsmith, Russell Brands former girlfriend, has accused the comedian of violence, coercive control and abuse during their relationship, revealing that she once had to call the police to remove him from her home following a violent incident in 2014.
Goldsmith, who dated Brand for around a year, made the allegations in a social media statement following his conviction for rape and sexual assault and subsequent 10-year-and-six-month prison sentence. She said the experience had a lasting impact on her, but explained that she had previously chosen not to press charges or speak publicly because she was concerned about the effect of media attention on her teenage children. In her post on X, Goldsmith wrote, I have neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014. Whilst my pain in relation to this pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered, this was a difficult period in my life which has had a lasting impact. https://x.com/Jemima_Khan/status/2119834902434656721? She also disclosed that she had assisted journalists investigating Brands alleged behaviour and was prepared to testify about his abusiveness if the newspapers involved faced legal action. I have spent much of my professional career trying to support unfairly demonised and silenced women, she wrote. Goldsmith also used her statement to respond to media reports concerning Szilvia Berki, a woman who reportedly received an injunction involving Brand and Goldsmith in October 2015, preventing her from harassing them. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Berki had previously accused Brand of assault at Goldsmiths home. Addressing the incident, Goldsmith said Berki visited the property on June 7, 2014, to give Brand a massage. However, she claimed Brand changed his mind before the appointment and asked Berki to leave. I was present the whole time he was with her, and I did not see anything untoward, despite the fact that he was later found guilty of sexually assaulting other women and he later physically assaulted me, Goldsmith stated in her post. She added that Berki subsequently reported to the police that Brand had pushed her while she was leaving the house. Berki also reportedly claimed that Goldsmiths dog had attacked her, which Goldsmith said was described in the police statement as the dog licking her face. According to Goldsmith, she fully cooperated with the police investigation and provided CCTV footage. She said the police ultimately concluded that there was no case to answer and that no criminal offence had been committed. Goldsmith further alleged that Berki subsequently sold untrue stories to tabloids and subjected her to what she described as vicious antisemitic and threatening abuse online and in emails. She also said recent media coverage had created an inaccurate narrative and exposed her to online harassment. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday after a London jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The sentencing hearing included victim impact statements detailing the emotional and psychological consequences of the offences. One victim described feeling traumatised and struggling with her self-worth, saying she had been left feeling like damaged goods. She also spoke about finding it distressing to see Brand in the media. The conviction has also prompted wider questions about how allegations against the comedian and former television presenter were handled within the entertainment industry. Concluding her statement, Goldsmith said she hoped her account would clarify speculation surrounding her relationship with Brand and the reports involving Berki. She ended by expressing relief over the outcome of the criminal proceedings, stating, I am glad and relieved that Russell Brand has finally faced justice. (ANI)
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