Georgina Baillie, who used to be in a relationship with Russell Brand and was the girl spoken about during ‘Sachsgate’, has urged him to tell the truth following guilty verdicts
Russell Brand‘s ex Georgina Baillie has urged him to “tell the truth” after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault. She said she was wrong to trust him, after agreeing to help the defence with a statement of support.
Baillie was in a relationship with Brand in 2008 and this became headline news after ‘Sachsgate’. This was when Brand and Jonathan Ross left messages for her grandfather, Andrew Sachs, of Fawlty Towers fame, of a lewd nature. During the ‘prank’, Ross said in voicemail that Brand “f***ed your granddaughter”. The moment prompted a swathe of backlash, including from then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
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Despite the controversy, the actress praised Brand for “saving my life”, after he paid for her to go to rehab in 2018. She added that she held him “on a pedestal” in her memory and, when allegations against Brand emerged in 2023, said she did not see him as a rapist. She also agreed to a request from his legal team to write a statement supporting his defence. But, after he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault on Thursday, Baillie said he must “admit his mistakes”.
She told 5 News: “The most important thing is to admit your mistakes and correct them as much as you can. Now if they’ve proven that he’s done these things… that’s what needs to happen. He needs to make amends.”
Baillie went on to recall the moment she first heard allegations against Brand in the media, follwoing a Channel 4 Dispatches episode in 2023. She said she found it “really tricky” to think of him as aggressive towards women because he “worshipped” them. Recognising that those who have been “abused” deserved to be heard, she said he “really ought to do the right thing”, which was to “make amends”.
The actress added that she was “really sad” he had been found guilty because she thought she was a “better judge of character than this”, adding that she was “open-minded enough” to know that she could have been wrong, even if it was hard to remove him from the pedestal in her mind.
Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault on Thursday. He is awaiting sentencing, which will take place on Monday and is under investigation for two further allegations.
Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said he would not be surprised if “many more” alleged victims of Russell Brand now came forward. He said high-profile cases did often lead to an “upsurge” in reporting because it gave victims confidence to speak up about attackers in their cases.
He told BBC Breakfast: “It does make a difference because people see it is possible, and you will be believed.” On Brand, he added: “There’s two more cases we’re investigating at the moment. I clearly wouldn’t be surprised if many more came forward.”
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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