Jemima Goldsmith Accuses Russell Brand of Violence and Abuse After His Prison Sentence

Jemima Goldsmith has accused her former partner Russell Brand of “violence, coercive control and abuse”, saying she called police to have him removed from her home during a violent incident in 2014. The television producer posted the statement on X on Monday evening, 9 November 2026, hours after Brand, 51, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to ten and a half years in prison for rape and sexual assaults against four other women.

Goldsmith, 52, said she had stayed silent for twelve years because she feared the effect of press attention on her then-teenage children. She said she has neither seen nor spoken to Brand since 2014, and that she decided to speak now because of what she called misleading reports about a harassment injunction taken out in 2015.

Jemima Goldsmith and Russell Brand — Quick Reference Summary

What Goldsmith Said in Her Monday Statement

Goldsmith opened her statement by praising the women who testified at Brand’s trial. “I am in awe of the courageous women who came forward at Brand’s trial, told their stories, testified and ensured justice was done,” she wrote. “I have had my own personal experience of his violence, coercive control and abuse.”

She then described the 2014 incident directly: “I had to call the police to have him removed from my house in 2014 during a violent incident.” Goldsmith said she was “glad and relieved” that Brand had “finally faced justice”. Her statement was reported by the BBC, and covered in detail by Gulf News and Dawn.

Goldsmith said she was speaking out now because she felt she had “no choice”, given what she described as misleading reports and speculation about the facts of a harassment injunction taken out in 2015. She said the injunction had been taken out to protect her and her family, not to protect Brand.

The 2014 Incident and Twelve Years of Silence

Goldsmith dated Brand for about a year around 2013 and 2014, after her marriage to Imran Khan had ended. She said she chose not to press charges at the time and not to go public, because she was worried about the impact of press attention on her then-teenage children.

Her two sons with Khan, Sulaiman and Qasim, were teenagers in 2014. Goldsmith said the period had a lasting impact on her life, and that she has neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014.

The account she has given is her own. No criminal charge or court finding relates to the incident she describes, and the BBC’s reporting notes that no response from Brand to her new allegations has been published.

The 2015 Injunction and the Szilvia Berki Episode

A large part of Goldsmith’s statement dealt with a harassment injunction obtained by her and Brand in October 2015, which was made final that year. The injunction concerned a woman named Szilvia Berki, who had visited Goldsmith’s home on 7 June 2014.

According to Goldsmith’s account, Berki had been booked to give Brand a massage, but the treatment did not go ahead and Berki was asked to leave. Berki later told police that Brand had pushed her as she left and that Goldsmith’s dog had attacked her. Goldsmith said she witnessed nothing untoward during the encounter.

Police investigated Berki’s complaint and concluded there was no case to answer and no criminal offence had been committed, Goldsmith said. She added that she agreed to seek the injunction on the advice of Brand’s lawyer, after receiving messages she described as threatening and antisemitic, and to stop Berki targeting her family.

Brand’s Conviction and Ten-and-a-Half-Year Sentence

Brand was sentenced on Monday 9 November 2026 at Southwark Crown Court, after a jury convicted him on 5 November of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. The offences took place between 2004 and 2009, years before his relationship with Goldsmith.

Judge Joel Bennathan handed down a total sentence of ten years and six months: nine years for the rape and eighteen months for the sexual assaults. The judge told Brand he had shown what was reported as a “casual arrogant disregard to any woman’s right to say no to you”, and said his fame had contributed to his belief that he could act as he wished.

Brand, who had denied the charges, began his sentence at HMP Wandsworth. His legal team can seek permission to appeal against the conviction or the sentence within 28 days. The Metropolitan Police has also said investigations into allegations of rape made by two other women remain ongoing.

Goldsmith is not the first of Brand’s former partners to return to the headlines this week. Katy Perry, Brand’s ex-wife, has also been in the spotlight after comments she made about the marriage in 2013 resurfaced, with reports that she is considering a book or documentary about the relationship.

Goldsmith’s Role in the 2023 Investigation

Goldsmith also revealed that she had helped the journalists who investigated Brand in 2023, naming Rosamund Urwin of The Sunday Times, Louisa Compton and Dorothy Byrne. Their reporting by Channel 4, The Times and The Sunday Times published the testimonies that led to the criminal proceedings.

She said she had been willing to testify in court about his abusiveness if the newspaper that published the victims’ accounts had been sued. Urwin, the Sunday Times chief news correspondent who led the 2023 investigation, told the BBC that Goldsmith had helped her “a lot” during that work.

Goldsmith’s background is in journalism and film. Born Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith on 30 January 1974 in Chelsea, London, she is the eldest child of financier Sir James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel Goldsmith. She married Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and later prime minister, in 1995 at the age of 21, and the couple divorced in 2004.

She studied English at the University of Bristol and later completed a master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies at SOAS, University of London. She founded the television production company Instinct Productions and has worked as a screenwriter and documentary producer, including writing and producing the romantic comedy What’s Love Got to Do with It?

What Happens Next for Brand

Brand’s legal team has 28 days from sentencing to seek permission to appeal. Any appeal would be heard by the Court of Appeal, and no appeal has been announced so far. The Metropolitan Police’s separate investigations into allegations made by two other women remain open.

Goldsmith’s allegations have not been tested in court and are not part of any criminal case against Brand. What her statement has done is add a prominent voice to the public record around a case that has already seen one of Britain’s best-known comedians jailed for a decade. Support for anyone affected by sexual violence in the UK is available from Rape Crisis England and Wales.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jemima Goldsmith?

Jemima Goldsmith, also known as Jemima Khan, is a 52-year-old British television and film producer and screenwriter. She is the former wife of Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and prime minister, and the daughter of financier Sir James Goldsmith.

What did Jemima Goldsmith accuse Russell Brand of?

In a statement posted on X on 9 November 2026, Goldsmith said she had her “own personal experience of his violence, coercive control and abuse” during their relationship in 2013 and 2014. She said she called police to have Brand removed from her home during a violent incident in 2014.

Did Goldsmith report Brand to the police in 2014?

Goldsmith says she called the police to remove Brand from her house during the incident, but chose not to press charges at the time. She said she stayed silent for twelve years because she feared press attention would harm her then-teenage children.

Were Goldsmith’s claims part of Brand’s trial?

No. Brand was convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults against four other women, for offences committed between 2004 and 2009. Goldsmith’s allegations relate to her own relationship with Brand in 2013 and 2014 and were not part of the trial.

What was the 2015 injunction about?

Goldsmith and Brand obtained a harassment injunction against Szilvia Berki, who had visited Goldsmith’s home in June 2014. Berki alleged Brand pushed her and that a dog attacked her; police concluded there was no case to answer. Goldsmith says she agreed to the injunction to stop Berki targeting her family.

What sentence did Russell Brand receive?

Brand was sentenced on 9 November 2026 at Southwark Crown Court to ten years and six months in prison: nine years for rape and eighteen months for three sexual assaults. His legal team can seek permission to appeal within 28 days.

Myth-busting: It is not correct to say Goldsmith’s allegations were proven in court. Her account has not been tested in a trial, and Brand’s prison sentence relates to offences against four other women. It is also not correct to say she pressed charges in 2014 — she says she called the police but chose not to press charges.