Pat McFadden Says Age of Consent Change Will Be Discussed

Accuser waives anonymity

Mia Latter, who has waived her right to anonymity, told the Sunday Times she wants a staggered age of consent. She said she was 16 when she met Brand, then 30.

Latter is one of six women who made allegations against Brand in 2023. She was then known as "Alice". Brand denied those allegations at the time, and none of the six women were complainants in his recent criminal trial.

Brand was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 10-and-a-half years in prison. He was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women between 2004 and 2009. He was acquitted of two counts of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.

"I don't want to criminalise teenagers having sex with each other," Latter told the paper. She said that if someone is in their thirties, forties or fifties and pursues a relationship with someone under 18, "it [should be] a criminal offence".

Cross-party support for a debate

Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said a change was worth debating. She said she has teenage daughters and would be concerned if they brought home a man many years older. "I think any parent would look twice," she said, adding: "let's have the debate".

Anna Edmundson, director of policy and social change at the NSPCC children's charity, said 16- and 17-year-olds can be particularly vulnerable to grooming. Laws have changed in recent years to stop more people in positions of trust from having sexual relationships with children of that age. She said "other laws are failing to prevent them from being sexually exploited".

Walliams investigation

Further allegations of sexual misconduct in entertainment emerged in the same week. ITV News and the Guardian published a story alleging that several women had accused comedian David Walliams of sexual misconduct.

One woman said she now describes her alleged encounter with Walliams at 15 as a "sexual assault". Walliams strongly denied any sexual contact with the girl. He said he rejected any allegations of criminal activity and had never engaged in grooming young women.

The Metropolitan Police said on Friday it has opened an investigation into Walliams over reports of "alleged serious sexual offences". The force said those allegations are separate from the ones in the ITV News and Guardian story, and that it is also "proactively reviewing that reporting".