Russell Brand’s former classmate alleges he pursued and groped younger pupils
Tony Brown alleges staff overlooked sexual behaviour towards junior pupils; the academy says Brand was expelled during his first year.
A former classmate of Russell Brand has alleged that he pursued and groped younger female pupils at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, and that staff failed to challenge much of his behaviour.
Tony Brown, 52, a producer from Belfast, said he met Brand after enrolling at the school aged 16. The academy said Brand attended in 1991 and was expelled before the end of his first year for breaching its code of conduct.
Brown’s account follows a three-week trial in which Brand was found guilty of one charge of rape and three charges of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. The allegations involved six female complainants and spanned the decade from 1999 to 2009.
Recalling their schooldays, Brown said Brand immediately stood out because of his high quiff, Cockney accent and conspicuous confidence. He believed Brand’s charisma helped him avoid trouble over his sexual behaviour.
Brown alleged that Brand repeatedly walked through corridors used by younger girls without any reason to be there, and groped junior pupils when they mixed with older students in the dining hall.
“The junior school girl classrooms were on the third floor; I remember Russell would stalk the corridors,” he said.
“He had no reason to be there, yet he would be caught walking up and down those corridors.
“There were two girls in particular that he was bragging about, that he was going to have them and take them under his cloak of love.
“The junior school girls would mix with us in the canteen; I remember him lapping them up and groping them.”
Brown said some male pupils treated Brand as a role model because of his confidence with women. He alleged that Brand openly discussed his sexual encounters and whom he intended to pursue next.
“He was blatantly sexual and would go up to girls telling them that he was going to have them,” Brown said. “Looking back, I would say that his behaviour was predatory.”
Brown alleged that staff ignored much of this conduct. He recalled one occasion when a matron challenged Brand over his behaviour towards junior girls, after which, Brown said, Brand buried his head between her breasts and she responded: “Oh, Russell!”
Brown also described Brand’s alleged fixation with two pupils who subsequently became celebrities. He said Brand made explicit comments about how they looked in leotards and spoke about wanting one of them to be the first black girl he slept with.
“He would say, ‘I will have them; they just don’t know it yet’,” Brown said.
“From my recollection, neither of them welcomed it.”
He alleged that both rejected Brand’s advances, but that Brand became more determined and more vocal about pursuing them.
In a separate incident, Brown recalled walking along a corridor with Brand when Naomi Campbell, who had studied at Italia Conti in the early 1980s, emerged from a staff office.
Brown alleged that Brand pushed through a crowd of admiring students to reach her, made remarks about them becoming a couple, then knelt, took her hand and began kissing up her arm. According to Brown, Campbell flinched and staff intervened, taking Brand away.
Brown said he felt guilty for not challenging Brand himself. He argued that intervention at school could have changed Brand’s subsequent behaviour, and blamed both the school and Brand’s parents. He also alleged that Brand’s father bought him prostitutes for his 17th birthday.
“If he had been challenged at a younger age, we would have had a very different Russell Brand,” Brown said.
“It went unchallenged then, and when you add fame and money, this is what happens.”
In response, an Italia Conti spokesperson said: “We recognise how difficult it can be for anyone to come forward, and our thoughts are with anyone who may have been affected.”
The spokesperson added: “Italia Conti is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment, prioritising the wellbeing of our students and upholding our duty of care responsibilities. As is public knowledge, Russell Brand was a student at Italia Conti in 1991 and was expelled before the end of his first year for breaching our code of conduct.”
The academy said it took allegations of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously and encouraged anyone with concerns or experiences to share to contact it, saying they would be listened to and supported.