Russell Brand grabbed a woman's arm while speaking in Parliament and accused a fellow guest of flirting with her, footage from more than a decade ago reveals.
asserted
footage → grab → her
Footage from the hearing in 2012 shows the moment Brand grabbed hold of a woman's arm and held onto her for four seconds as she tried to pass him by.
asserted
she → show → him
After she managed to get by and free herself from his grasp, the disgraced comedian then made a joke about another man in the hearing flirting with her.
asserted
comedian → manage → her
During the hearing in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Brand laughed with Labour politicians about his 'occasional skirmishes' with criminal activity and ridiculed a Tory MP who had asked to consider the experiences of victims of crime.
asserted
who → laugh → crime
He was speaking on drug policy after being invited to do so by Keith Vaz, a former Labour minister, who chaired the group.
asserted
who → speak → group
Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
asserted
Brand → sentence → others
A jury convicted him just days earlier on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women, and cleared him on two further rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
asserted
jury → convict → assault
In the 2012 hearing, Chip Somers, a former drug addict and recovery specialist, was interrupted by the comedian as two women tried to pass behind him.
asserted
women → interrupt → him
Russell Brand speaking on drug policy in front of the home affairs select committee in 2012
Footage from the hearing in 2012 shows the moment Brand grabbed hold of a woman's arm and held onto her for four seconds as she tried to pass him by
Chip Somers, a former drug addict and recovery specialist, was interrupted by the comedian as two women tried to pass behind him
'This lady has to get by.
asserted
lady → speak → him
Sorry, love,' Brand said.
asserted
Brand → say → ?
Mr Somers responded: 'I was right in the middle of my answer then.'
asserted
I → respond → answer
Brand then grabbed the woman by the arm and when Mr Somers said he had forgotten what he was telling the hearing, Brand quickly responded: 'That is because he was flirting with them two.'
asserted
he → grab → them
Elsewhere in the hearing, Sir Michael Ellis KC, a former Conservative MP and attorney general, asked Brand: 'What about the victims of the crime?'
asserted
KC → ask → crime
'We talked about them,' Brand responded.
asserted
Brand → talk → them
'We talked about them.
asserted
We → talk → them
You can tell what party they are in from their questions, can't you?
asserted
you → tell → questions
Appearing to mimic Sir Michael, Brand said: 'What about the victims of the crime?'
asserted
Brand → appear → crime
Laughter in the Commons hearing followed, but Sir Michael replied: 'I think all parties are interested in victims of crime.'
asserted
parties → follow → crime
At another point, Brand also joked about how he was able to stop his criminal behaviour, saying: 'It wasn't until I had access to abstinence-based recovery that I was able to change my behaviour and significantly reduce, all but obliterate, my criminal activity, apart from the occasional skirmish.'
asserted
I → joke → skirmish
Speaking to The Telegraph this week, Sir Michael said he remembered his interaction with Brand at the hearing and described him as being 'rather rude'.
asserted
he → speak → him
He said: 'I was a barrister in criminal practice for 17 years before becoming an MP in 2010, and I had seen first-hand the effects of drugs on victims as well as defendants.
'
asserted
I → say → victims
Brand seemed at the height of his popularity at the time of that committee hearing in 2012, and he was immensely popular – particularly with Labour MPs – but I didn't think it was right not to put the other side of the argument to him.
asserted
it → seem → him
Labour MPs seemed very friendly to him, but I pushed back and had no compunction in putting the [victims'] side to him.
asserted
I → seem → him
I recall his response simply being rather rude.'
British comedian and actor Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
asserted
Brand → recall → others
Pictured: Brand leaving Southwark Crown Court in south London on October 30
Speaking today, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said that Ed Miliband should be 'ashamed' of 'cosying up' to disgraced comic Russell Brand in an attempt to win political power.
asserted
Miliband → picture → power
The Tory leader used Prime Minister's Questions to hit out at the Foreign Secretary, who has so far remained silent over his decision to woo the comic to win Labour votes from his fans.
asserted
who → use → fans
Mr Miliband recorded an interview in the now-disgraced comedian's flat before the general election in 2015, when he was party leader.
asserted
he → record → 2015
It was posted online as part of Brand's show The Trews, as he tried to win over young voters in his ultimately doomed attempt to become prime minister.
asserted
he → post → attempt
At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mrs Badenoch attacked Mr Miliband – currently at the Cop31 environment summit in Turkey – over his refusal to approve the Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea when he was energy secretary.
asserted
he → attack → Sea
'He called Rosebank 'climate vandalism', but then he also thought cosying up to Russell Brand would make him prime minister,' she added.
asserted
she → call → Brand
'So, I don't think we need to trust his judgment.'
asserted
we → think → judgment
Labour MPs shouted 'shame' in response to her remarks.
asserted
MPs → shout → remarks
Mrs Badenoch hit back: 'They're saying "shame", they're right - the Foreign Secretary should be ashamed'.
asserted
Secretary → hit → shame
Responding at PMQs, Prime Minister Andy Burnham did not address Mrs Badenoch's comments about Mr Miliband.
asserted
Burnham → respond → Miliband
He said: 'We will take a further decision on Rosebank in due course, as well as building a renewable energy future.'
Downing Street later defended Mr Miliband, repeating Education Secretary Lucy Powell's assertion earlier this week that the interview took place a 'long time ago'.
asserted
interview → say → place
Ms Powell, who was vice chairwoman of Labour's election campaign in 2015, earlier this week said the recording took place in a 'different era' when Brand had a 'powerful platform'.
asserted
Brand → say → platform
She was ridiculed for saying 'We weren't in the social media age at the time' so it was hard to find out information about people, despite Mr Miliband doing the interview to benefit from Brand's social media following.
asserted
Miliband → ridicule → following
Asked whether the Foreign Secretary should address his previous contact with the rapist comedian, the Prime Minister's political spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister was asked about this on Friday in an interview with the BBC.
asserted
Minister → ask → BBC
As he said, it's not always the case that people know everything about people in public life, but what is important is where there is wrongdoing, it is exposed.
asserted
it → say → life
The PM also praised the bravery of the victims, saying credit to the victims, huge credit for the courage it's taken, but also for the journalists that have exposed this.'
asserted
that → praise → this
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
