Russell Brand's ex Jemima Goldsmith accuses him of violence and abuse against her

Jemima Goldsmith, 52, posted a statement on X on Monday alleging that Russell Brand, 51, subjected her to "violence, coercive control and abuse" during their roughly year-long relationship around 2013-2014. She wrote that she "had to call the police to have him removed from my house in 2014 during a violent incident" but chose not to press charges because she was "worried about the impact of the press attention on my then teenage children." Goldsmith said she has not seen or spoken to Brand since 2014 and that her pain "pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered." She also said she assisted journalists who exposed the allegations against Brand and was willing to testify to his "abusiveness" if the newspaper that published the victims' accounts were ever sued.

The statement came hours after Brand was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison at a London court on Monday. He was convicted on Thursday of raping a woman at his London home in 2009 and three counts of sexual assault against three other women between 2004 and 2009. The judge told Brand he harboured a "casual arrogant disregard to any woman's right to say no to you" and that his fame meant he believed "you could act when you liked and how you liked." A van believed to be carrying Brand was seen arriving at HMP Wandsworth after the sentencing.

Goldsmith also addressed reports of a 2015 injunction obtained by her and Brand against Sylvie Berki, a massage therapist who visited Goldsmith's home on 7 June 2014. Goldsmith said Berki was there for roughly 30 minutes to give Brand a massage that did not take place. She said Berki later told police Brand pushed her in the back while leaving and that she was attacked by Goldsmith's dog, but police concluded there was no case to answer after reviewing a statement and CCTV footage. Goldsmith alleged Berki then sent "vicious antisemitic and threatening" messages and posted "wild and untrue allegations" on social media, prompting her to agree to Brand's lawyer's suggestion to seek an injunction to prevent harassment. Goldsmith said recent media reporting of the injunction had opened her up "to vile hatred and abuse online."

Tax Policy Associates published details of the injunction, which they obtained and said had never previously been published. The order prohibits Berki from disclosing "any information" about the events to anyone, including journalists, friends, family, and the police, and ordered her to pay £50,000 in legal costs within two weeks, with provision for her bankruptcy. The Court of Appeal acknowledged concerns about the injunction's breadth in September 2024 but it remains in place. Tax Policy Associates argued the injunction functioned as a libel injunction in disguise, noting Berki was unrepresented and the judge did not scrutinise the order's terms.