‘I lived with Russell Brand and saw what happened – I will support victims’

Mark Pinheiro, who shared a London flat with Russell Brand for 16 months from 1999, says he witnessed further alleged misconduct and will support women who come forward. Speaking in a Netflix documentary, he recalled seeing Brand hold a woman by the arm as she tried to get away, and urged anyone with relevant experiences to report them.

Pinheiro and Brand were friends for years, but their relationship later faded; Pinheiro said he last saw Brand backstage in 2015 and believed people around him tolerated his behaviour. Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison after a jury convicted him of rape and three sexual assaults against four women for offences committed between 2004 and 2009. Six more women have since made allegations, and police are investigating two additional rape allegations.