A woman who alleges she was raped by Russell Brand when she was 16 has waived her right to anonymity and launched a campaign for a staggered age of consent. Mia Latter, previously known by the pseudonym “Alice,” was one of six women who made allegations against Brand in 2023 as part of a joint Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation. Brand denied all the allegations at the time.
In an interview with the Sunday Times published this weekend, Latter said she met Brand, then 30, while on her way home from a shopping trip when she was 16. She said Brand was working at MTV at the time. “I think people were so struck by my story because of the age difference and the clear imbalance [in power],” she told the paper. The Sunday Times reported that Latter had initially described her allegation to them as a sexual assault, and that is how it was reported in the 2023 investigation.
The disclosure follows a dramatic week in the Brand case. On Monday, the entertainer was sentenced to 10 and a half years for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two counts of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault. None of the women involved in the 2023 media investigation were complainants in that criminal trial.
Latter is now pressing for a staggered age of consent, arguing that current legislation leaves teenagers exposed to exploitation by significantly older adults. Her decision to speak openly marks a significant moment in the wider debate over how allegations are reported and how the law protects young people.
Brand has consistently denied wrongdoing. The campaign comes as scrutiny of the entertainment industry’s treatment of young women intensifies across Belgium and beyond, with advocates urging lawmakers to revisit consent safeguards for minors.
