Brand drama school urges ex-pupils to speak up over groping claims
Comedian accused of touching girls beneath his ‘cloak of love’
RUSSELL Brand’s old school has appealed to former students to come forward with any allegations of abuse after a classmate accused him of groping girl pupils.
Tony Brown says the comic, who denies one rape allegation and others of sexual assault, grabbed girls under what Brand called his “cloak of love”.
At the time, Brand, 48, was a student at Central London’s prestigious Italia Conti Performing Arts School.
He was expelled after a year for “breaching its code of conduct”, said to be related to drug-taking and truancy.
The school said it is “deeply concerned” about Tony’s claims.
Actor Tony said: “He started wearing a large black trenchcoat, which he called his cloak of love.
“He would sneak up behind girls wrapping them in the coat, pulling them in close and touching them under it.
“You would often see the girls flinch. He would be pinching their bums and grabbing their boobs.”
Tony, 48, who started the school the same day as Brand in 1991, was shocked by the then 16-year-old’s behaviour.
He said: “A couple of his favourite junior girls would have been two years below us, making them around 14.
“It’s hard to tell what the girls thought as I think at the time they would have put on an act in front of their friends.
“No one wanted to be seen to be the
DEEPLY CONCERNED Italia Conti School and Tony Brown prude and he capitalised on it I suppose. talked about what He could manipulate any situation. he’d done with
“It wasn’t a normal school environment. girls the night Girls probably outnumbered boys before was so by about 20 to one. disrespectful. I’ve
“When we did our first improvisation got daughters class on our second or third day, the now. I dread to teacher put a chair in the middle of the think anyone studio and told us one by one to would talk about them that way.” approach the chair and make love to it. Brand detailed his school days in
“I felt mortified watching these girls 2007 autobiography My Booky Wook. faking having sex on a chair. I remember He wrote: “Perhaps it was in seeking thinking ‘this is just bizarre’. Russell did to cope with this sudden upturn in my it with the most enthusiasm. It was a sexual economy – this huge shift in the spectacular performance.” quality and quantity of available women
Dad-of-five Tony, who has moved – that I developed my cloak of love back to his native Northern Ireland and identity. I got myself this cloak. It is a radio presenter, said: “The way he stretched from the top of my head to the tips of my tiny toes, like a curtain, and I used it to veil myself and my true intentions, right in it, as I stalked the corridors of Italia Conti.”
A school spokeswoman said: “Italia Conti takes any allegations of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously, and we have robust policies and procedures to ensure that any reported matter is dealt with appropriately.”
She added that concerned ex-pupils and others could contact the school.
Brand is accused of sex offences between 2003 and 2013. The Met Police has also launched a probe into an alleged 2003 assault in London’s Soho.
Another woman alleges Brand exposed himself to her in an office used by the BBC in LA.
Since the claims broke last week Brand’s PR firm has removed him from its websites. You-tube has stopped him pocketing ad cash and remaining shows of his theatre tour have been suspended. On Friday he posted on Instagram: “It’s been a distressing week. By now you’re probably aware the British government has asked big tech platforms to censor our online content.”
Brand is still broadcasting on a payto-view web service called Rumble.
He has insisted all of his sexual encounters have been consensual.
I think the girls would have put an act on. No one wanted to be seen as a prude and Brand capitalised on that