Lifestyle · Entertainment

Russell Brand Flatmate Who Lived With Him Says He Had to Step In

Mark Pinheiro, who lived with Russell Brand, says in the new Netflix documentary Russell Brand: Open Secret that he stepped in when a woman shouted 'Let go of me!' from Brand's bedroom. Brand was recently sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

By Elena Vance

November 15, 20262 min read

Mark Pinheiro, a former housemate of Russell Brand, says he lived with the comedian and had to step in after hearing a woman shout from Brand's bedroom. He makes the claim in the Netflix documentary Russell Brand: Open Secret, released Friday, November 13.

The film examines Brand's career and the investigations into allegations against him. It draws on interviews with insiders and archival footage.

What Pinheiro says he saw

Pinheiro describes an evening when Brand brought a woman back to their flat. "It was getting really calamitous in the room, you're hearing loads of noise, and you can hear the girl shouting, 'Let go of me!'" he says.

He says he opened his door and saw Brand holding the woman's arm with both hands. "Like a tug of war," Pinheiro says, with the woman "wrestling herself away from him." When Pinheiro switched on the light, he says, Brand let go.

The woman then asked Pinheiro whether he had seen what happened. He says he told her: "If you want to report it, feel free, and I will support you." Pinheiro adds: "Whether she reported it, I don't know."

Verdict and sentence

Earlier this month, a London court found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

The trial examined allegations by six women over a 10-year period, from 1999 to 2009. More than 100 journalists covered it at Southwark crown court.

Rosamund Urwin, who led The Times and The Sunday Times investigation into Brand, appears in the film. She says Brand presented himself as a playboy whose sex life everyone enjoyed, "but actually, there was this really darker side to it."

Other material in the film

The documentary also plays a clip from the first episode of Brand's 2002 television series RE:Brand. In it, a young Brand and his father, Ron, discuss having sex with prostitutes in the same room. The clip recently went viral on social media.

Anyone affected by the issues raised can find information through Rape Crisis England and Wales, or call the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline is 08088 01 03 02.

Olivia Isaacs, who directed the film, says the verdict "is a significant moment but doesn't change what the film is: a deeper look at how this was possible and how it stayed hidden for so long."