Russell Brand’s ex Jemima Goldsmith says she backed gagging order against masseuse to protect her family

Russell Brand’s ex Jemima Goldsmith says she backed gagging order against masseuse to protect her family The heiress and producer, who used to be married to cricketer and former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, also accused Brand of violence and abuse - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in One of Russell Brand’s ex-partners has accused him of “violence, coercive control and abuse”, as she defended her support for an injunction order against a woman who made allegations against the celebrity. Brand, 51, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years’ imprisonment on Monday for raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three TV and radio workers during his rise to international fame. Hours after the sentence was delivered at Southwark Crown Court, his ex-partner Jemima Goldsmith, the heiress and former wife of cricketer and former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, issued a statement on social media. Ms Goldsmith, who dated Brand for around a year until September 2014, issued the 1,534-word message in response to “misleading reports” over the harrassment injunction the pair secured against masseuse Szilvia Berki in 2015. The case stemmed from a birthday present massage arranged by Ms Goldsmith for Brand in June 2014, which was not in the end taken up. Ms Berki had claimed she was assaulted by Brand, which he denied, and the alleged incident was investigated by police, who concluded there was no case to answer. In her social media post, Ms Goldsmith said: “I was present the whole time he was with her, and I did not see anything untoward, despite the fact that he was later found guilty of sexually assaulting other women and he later physically assaulted me. If I saw any man abuse any woman under any circumstances, I would do my utmost to stop them, without hesitation.” After the claim was made, Ms Berki initiated a campaign of harassment, Ms Goldsmith alleged in her statement, including sending disturbing emails and having untrue stories published in the press. They included anti-semetic comments which were submitted to the judge which granted the injunction, Ms Goldsmith claimed. Ms Goldsmith said: “Although I was at this point no longer in contact with Brand, I agreed to the suggestion by his lawyer of a harassment order. My sole reason was to stop Ms Berki targeting me and my family.” She concluded in her social media post: “I hope this information will help clarify speculation about my involvement in the anti-harassment order. I am glad and relieved that Russell Brand has finally faced justice.” Ms Goldsmith also wrote of her experience with Brand, including an incident when she said she had to call the police to get him removed from her house. She wrote: “Firstly, and most importantly, I am and have always been strongly and unequivocally on the side of all of Brand’s victims. I am in awe of the courageous women who came forward at Brand’s trial, told their stories, testified and ensured justice was done. “I have had my own personal experience of his violence, coercive control and abuse. I had to call the police to have him removed from my house in 2014 during a violent incident. “I chose not to press charges at the time and not to go public with this, as I was worried about the impact of the press attention on my then teenage children. “I have neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014. Whilst my pain in relation to this, pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered, this was a difficult period in my life which has had a lasting impact.” Ms Goldsmith said she had spent several years assisting the Channel 4 Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times journalists who first accused Brand of sexual misconduct in 2023, even undertaking to testify in court about the abuse she suffered if the outlets were sued for their claims. The Independent has been unable to contact Ms Berki.