Russell Brand accuser claims then 30-year-old comic raped her when she was 16 as she opens up about 'abuse'

A woman who says she was groomed by Russell Brand when she was 16 and he was 30 has become the first of the former comedian's accusers to waive her anonymity. 

Mia Latter, now 37, was known until now only as 'Alice', but decided to reveal her identity to open up about the alleged abuse she suffered at Brand's hands when she was just a teenager. 

Mia said she was speaking out to campaign for a staggered age of consent that would outlaw relationships between adults and under-18s. The current age of consent in the UK - 16 - was set in 1885. 

Mia, who is now married and has a daughter, alleged that Brand sent BBC-funded taxis to take her out of school and bring her to his flat for sex. 

During his trial, Brand's defence team had claimed that the women who spoke out in the 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, 'In Plain Sight', were actresses and even questioned whether some existed - though Mia herself appeared in it as a silhouette and was given the name 'Alice'. 

Brand denied all the allegations of the original investigation in 2023. Mia spoke to the police after the documentary aired, but the CPS decided not to include her in the trial. Officers told her they wanted her to give evidence at a potential second trial. 

Mia Latter (pictured) is the first of Russell Brand's accusers to waive her anonymity, claiming the comic abused her when he was 30 and she was 16

Brand is accused by Mia of oral rape. Mia said Brand sent cars to take her out of school and bring her to his house that were paid for by the BBC while he hosted a show on Radio 6

They met in 2006, when Brand, who worked for MTV and the BBC at the time, stopped Mia in Leicester Square after she had gone shopping at Topshop.

The comedian went through her shopping bags and picked out a dress, telling her she would wear it on their first date.

Mia told the Sunday Times: 'I thought that the second I said, 'I'm 16' he was going to block me.' But instead, Brand asked if she wanted to have dinner the next day.

She said that on their first date he met her outside Belsize Park tube station and took her hand, asked her to confirm she was 16 and then said: 'I don't give a f*** how old you are. I just need to know where I stand legally.'

It was Easter Sunday, a detail Mia said she remembered because Brand told her their meeting was 'what Jesus would've wanted'.

When her distraught parents took her phone and grounded her, Brand sent cars - some paid for by the BBC while he hosted The Russell Brand Show on Radio 6 Music - to her school to collect her.

Mia said she is speaking out to campaign for a staggered age of consent in the UK, which would mean that adults cannot have relationships with 16 and 17-year-olds 

Brand pictured arriving at Southwark Crown Court on October 13

Mia also alleges that Brand referred to her as 'the child' in front of his entourage and manager John Noel, ordered her to keep the relationship secret from classmates and asked her to read Nabokov's Lolita.

Mia told the Sunday Times that, towards the end of their relationship, Brand forced her against the headboard of his bed and orally raped her.

When she hit him in the stomach to get him off, he said he 'just wanted to see your mascara run' - a line she later discovered that he had worked into a stand-up comedy set. 

Mia dropped out of sixth form after her school attendance fell to 30 per cent, and to this day does not know how she did in her AS exams. 

In an interview with conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly earlier this year, Brand had said that the age of consent in the UK is 16, and he did sleep with a 16-year-old when he was 30.

He described himself as being an 'immature 30-year-old' and said that consensual sex when there is a power imbalance – such as being famous – 'involves exploitation'.

Brand was sentenced to ten-and-a-half years in prison for rape and three counts of sexual assault on Monday 

Mia told The Times: 'He was a very successful man who had a lot of power and sway in the industry. Whereas I was a 16-year-old with no life experience, no sexual experience and no prior relationships. What was my level of maturity meant to be?'

Brand also addressed the comment he had made on Kelly's show during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

We speak to the detective who brought down Russell Brand

Hi, I'm Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.

Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults - and our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull were in court every day to witness it all. They sat down with Detective Inspector Laura Nelson who revealed why the women who accused him in the infamous documentary were not involved in his rape trial. 

Subscribe to The Crime Desk to listen to the podcast. 

Mia said police told her they wanted her to give evidence at a potential second trial after prosecutors left her out of the first. 

But she has decided not to continue with the criminal process so that she can focus on her campaign to 'protect teenagers from being groomed by older men or women'. 

Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, told The Times that 'Mia's heart-breaking story' meant a law change deserved consideration.

She said: 'We need to listen to Mia and other victims like her who have been through these experiences, because it's really important that as lawmakers their experience is at the heart of what we consider.

'It clearly would be a massive step to change the age of consent, but it deserves proper consideration and scrutiny. I can absolutely understand why she is calling for it.'

Under UK law, adults of any age are legally able to have sex with 16 and 17-year-olds.

Since the allegation was reported to the Metropolitan Police, while Mia said she did not wish to continue with the criminal process, the force has said the investigation into the alleged rape remains ongoing. 

Florida, where Brand lived before prison, already has the age of consent at 18, unless the partner is no older than 23. 

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'Officers launched an investigation in January 2026 after receiving an allegation of rape.

'Detectives sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service to determine how best to proceed, and officers were advised that further information was needed before a charging decision could be made.

'This investigation remains ongoing. We understand the delay has been distressing for this victim-survivor. However, our focus has been on putting forward the best possible evidence.' 

The Crown Prosecution Service said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work closely with investigators to provide advice and make sure cases progress as quickly as possible.' 

Brand was convicted of attacks against four of the six women who gave evidence against him, and he is now serving a 10-and-a-half-year prison term for one count of rape and three sexual assaults.

On Friday night, eight more women came forward and accused the 51-year-old of sexual abuse and predatory behaviour. 

Brand now faces the prospect of a second trial, as detectives are assessing information from more than half a dozen new complainants, who came forward following his conviction earlier this week. 

Police are also doing final work on files of evidence submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to claims from two further women, including an allegation that he raped a 16-year-old. 

On Friday, new allegations of abuse emerged in a Netflix documentary titled 'Russell Brand: Open Secret' from former girlfriend Jordan Martin, who accused Brand of sexually assaulting her and making her brush her teeth until they bled.

The Times also published details from six other women, including allegations that Brand had sex with a woman without her consent, and continued having sex with another victim after she asked him to stop because he was hurting her.  

News of the probe comes just days after Daily Mail columnist Bryony Gordon bravely revealed her own encounter with Brand, when she was aged just 25.

Gordon told how, while vulnerable and struggling with OCD and bulimia, Brand propositioned her and persuaded her to spend a night with him at his home, making her gargle with mouthwash before they kissed.   

'I'm not going to go into the details of the rest of my night with Brand. But what I will say is that when I left the next day, any discomfort I had about the encounter I blamed squarely on myself,' she wrote.

'I thought I was the problem, not him – I was a prude, not adventurous or sparkly enough for a man as charismatic and charming as him.'

The new allegations come as comedians and presenters who worked closely with Brand in the noughties and early 2010s have condemned his crimes and distanced themselves publicly from him. 

On Friday night, Bake Off presenter Noel Fielding released a statement saying he was 'horrified and deeply disturbed' by his former friend Russell Brand's rape conviction, adding that he had been 'completely unaware' of his crimes. 

The pair were known to be close comedy collaborators and friends during the noughties and 2010s, eventually being dubbed 'The Goth Detectives' for their similar emo-aesthetic, with Fielding often mentioning the now-disgraced comedian in interviews.

But Fielding, 53, appeared to distance himself from his former colleague after facing mounting calls to provide his response to Brand's conviction. 

The Bake Off presenter said his relationship with the disgraced comedian, 51, who was jailed at Southwark Crown Court on Monday for ten-and-a-half years after being convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults, had been 'professional rather than personal'.

He also apologised for some of the jokes he made alongside Brand, saying they were 'horrible and inappropriate' and that he 'very much regretted' them.

He told the Sun: 'I was horrified and deeply disturbed to learn of Russell Brand's crimes, which I was completely unaware of until they became public knowledge. My thoughts are with the women whose courage brought him to justice.

'I appeared on TV, radio and live charity shows with him, and whilst we played it up for the cameras and in the media, I considered it a professional relationship, rather than a personal one.' 

He added: 'I have had no contact with him for many years.'

Fielding also said that he had reflected on some of the jokes he had made with Brand and been 'appalled' by them, saying he completely regretted them. 

Fielding has never been accused of any misconduct, and it is not suggested he knew about Brand's crimes.

Questions have also been raised about whether other comics had any knowledge of Brand's sexual abuse and predatory behaviour in the noughties.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed investigations are ongoing into two allegations of rape made against Brand, and its chief Sir Mark Rowley said he would not be surprised if 'many more' alleged victims of Brand now came forward. 

Earlier this week, it was also announced that a series of 'serious' sexual offence allegations against comedian and children's author David Walliams are being probed by the Metropolitan Police following an investigation by The Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday.

One woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams when she was 15 as 'sexual assault'. 

Walliams denies any wrongdoing.

Read more

• Russell Brand faces fresh police probe after at least EIGHT women accuse him of sexual abuse and predatory behaviour
• Noel Fielding says he is 'horrified and deeply disturbed' by Russell Brand's rape conviction and was 'completely unaware' of his crimes 
• Moment Russell Brand jokes with Jonathan Ross about how being in jail cells is 'tiresome and lonely' - as he makes Lindsay Lohan visibly uncomfortable on chat show

• How did Russell Brand become a predator? What comes next? Get exclusive insight from The Crime Desk as we talk to police, psychologists, lawyers and more. Sign-up by clicking here.