Russell Brand was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday after being convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women.
The conviction follows nearly two decades after the #MeToo movement began, highlighting the ongoing dangers victims face when speaking out. UN special rapporteur Irene Khan described the legal retaliation against accusers as a perverse twist in the age of #MeToo according to The Conversation.
Legal Threats and Gagging Orders
Powerful figures across the world evade scrutiny by threatening legal action that can ruin their accusers financially. Strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as SLAPPs, are frequently used to suppress criticism. As one victim noted, silence is often the only way to survive reported The Conversation.
Brand reportedly obtained an anti-harassment injunction against Szilvia Berki after she made allegations against him. The injunction remains in place and prohibits Berki from repeating her allegations to friends and family. She was left with £50,000 in legal costs, and a judge authorized Brand’s lawyers to begin bankruptcy proceedings against her noted The Conversation.
Meanwhile, entertainer David Walliams attempted to secure an injunction to suppress claims of sexual misconduct. While Walliams denies all allegations against him, his application was refused, allowing the findings of joint investigations by The Guardian and ITV News to become public according to The Conversation.
Denials and Industry Fallout
Walliams was named on Tuesday as the subject of an investigation after he unsuccessfully sought an injunction to stop the publication. Multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, alleging he used his fame to prey on them reported Yahoo News Singapore.
“Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with,” Walliams told journalists working on the ITV News and Guardian investigations according to Yahoo News Singapore.
He added: “I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.”
“I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me,” Walliams said reported Yahoo News Singapore.
Broadcaster Reactions and Past Associations
Television host Jonathan Ross addressed his past associations with both men following the revelations. Ross appeared alongside Walliams in a photograph featured in an accompanying ITV documentary titled David Walliams: Power and Silence reported Yahoo News Singapore.
“I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation,” Ross said in a statement noted Yahoo News Singapore.
“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward,” Jonathan Ross said in a statement reported Yahoo News Singapore.
Ross also addressed resurfaced footage of a joke he delivered at the British Comedy Awards in 2004 regarding Walliams and a 15-year-old reported Yahoo News Singapore.
“I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old,” Ross said reported Yahoo News Singapore.
Legislative Reform Proposals
Campaigners and lawmakers are pressing for stronger protections against legal silencing tactics.
Olivia Bailey, Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire and Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, called on the government to extend NDA bans and third-party harassment protections beyond employees to freelancers, volunteers, and fans reported Politics Home.
Baroness Helena Kennedy argued that recent news regarding Russell Brand and David Walliams compounds why the UK must extend legal protections to those speaking out about sexual violence reported TBIJ.
Backbench MP Sir John Whittingdale is attempting to pass a new bill to tackle the issue, which will next be discussed in parliament on November 27 reported TBIJ.