I'm Alice | The Trial of Russell Brand - The Sunday Story

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Luke (1:07)

Hello, Luke here. If you've been following our sister podcast, The Trial of Russell Brand, you will know that my colleague Ros Irwin led that original reporting into Russell Brand back in 2023

Well today, she is returning to one of her sources from that story, a then anonymous woman who now has things to say publicly under her own name. We thought you might want to hear it.

Rosamund Irwin (1:36)

Hello, I'm Rosamund Irwin. It was February 2021 when I first spoke to a woman that we call Alice. She told me that she had had a relationship with Russell Brand in 2006 when she was just 16 years old. He celebrated his 31st birthday with her. Alice told me that Russell Brand groomed her. During their relationship, he was emotionally abusive, cruel, controlling and that he orally raped her. We published those allegations as part of our original reporting in 2023 Brand denied those allegations. Alice and I stayed in touch. In making such allegations, Alice has a lifetime right to anonymity under UK law. It would be a criminal offence to publish her identity or details that would lead to her identity being revealed. However, today she has decided to waive that right to anonymity and to speak publicly for the first time.

I should warn you, you may find details of what we discussed upsetting.

From The Times and Sunday Times, this is The Trial of Russel Brand. Episode 24, I'm Alice.

Can I get you to start by introducing yourself?

Mia Latter (2:58)

Yes, I'm Mia Latter.

Rosamund Irwin (3:01)

Today, you are waiving your right to anonymity. How are you feeling about this decision?

Mia Latter (3:07)

I'm feeling incredibly nervous about it because I know that it will open me up to lots of unwanted commentary, but it also feels incredibly important.

And I just keep hearing the words of Giselle Pelico saying that the shame must change sides, and it's not my shame, and it's not my burden to carry anymore. It's not me that's lying, and I didn't commit any crimes.

Rosamund Irwin (3:38)

The defense barrister in Russell Brand's trial, Ian Wintercasey, we've heard quite a lot about him, said a few times that the women in the documentary could be quotes made up.

He also kept saying that you were all played by actresses. And he actually said that to one of the complainants while she was being cross-examined. I wondered if you might like to set the record straight there.

Mia Latter (3:59)

No, I flew into England from America and came and I recorded those interviews in person. They were, they obviously disguised my identity for my anonymity, but I'm very much a real person. And the fact that that's being used to discredit other women's stories also is a reason why I felt that it was important to talk because I want to show that I am a real person. And Russell knows who I am. He's acknowledged his relationship with me and I'm certainly not an actress.

Rosamund Irwin (4:29)

You've talked before about the challenge that if you stay anonymous, people criticize you, but then there's a flip side here too.

Mia Latter (4:37)

Yeah, you can't win as a victim. You're either anonymous and you're bringing down somebody that's being accused publicly and he has to deal with all the repercussions of that, and you could be anybody making something up, or you go public and you're an attention seeker, you're after money, you're after publicity, you're whatever they may say. There's not really anything victims can do to win in this case.

Rosamund Irwin (5:07)

You have a really specific reason for waving your anonymity today. I wondered if you can tell us what that is.

Mia Latter (5:13)

I really think that there needs to be a wider discussion and hopefully a change in the law about the age of consent and about protecting teenagers from being groomed by older people, older men or women. And I think that people were so struck by my story because of the age difference and the clear imbalance. And that seemed to be, in lots of cases, more shocking than the actual assaults and the actual rapes that occurred. They seemed more appalled by the age difference and it's, well, why is the society, if we're so shocked by that, why haven't we done anything to change it?