A woman who alleges she was raped by Russell Brand when she was 16 has waived her right to anonymity and is campaigning for a staggered age of consent. Mia Latter, who was previously known by the pseudonym 'Alice', was one of six women who made allegations against Brand in 2023 as part of a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Brand denied the allegations at the time.
None of the women in the 2023 media investigation were complainants in his recent criminal trial, which culminated in his sentencing on Monday to 10 and a half years for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Brand moved to 'cushy' jail for safety
Meanwhile, The Sun on Sunday reports that Brand has been moved to a "cushy jail for his own safety". An ex-governor told the paper it is "flabbergasting" that the disgraced comedian has been transferred to the "soft" HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire. The Ministry of Justice told the paper it does not comment on individual prisoners.
The Sun's front page also features remarks made by Wayne Rooney ahead of his entry to the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! jungle. "I lost three stone after quitting booze," is the Sun's summary, "and Coleen loves it".
"Footie legend: Marriage in a much better place after going teetotal," is the Sunday Mirror's take. The former footballing star tells the paper that quitting alcohol six months ago has helped him mentally as well as physically.
Never shy of a pun, the Daily Star's headline today reads: "I'm a roo man." The paper reports the ex-England footballer is a favourite to win I'm a Celebrity... once he lands in Australia to film the long-running competition programme.
Burnham's EU plot and Erasmus row
Without missing out on Rooney's forthcoming "jungle battle", the Sunday Express gives the rest of its front page to what it calls "Andy Burnham's plot to rejoin the EU". Ahead of a UK-EU summit next week, the paper reports on "shock analysis" which it says models the possible impact of rejoining the bloc on UK households within 10 years. The study has not yet been published. Burnham has previously said he believes a "win-win" deal can be agreed with the EU, which could be "more like the Brexit that people thought they were voting for" in 2016.
A range of different stories lead the Sunday Telegraph. Its top story is the Conservatives accusing Labour of pushing "pro-EU propaganda" into universities by rejoining the Erasmus Plus programme. The paper reports the move will mean universities can apply for funding to conduct courses which "promote European citizenship". A Labour spokesman said: "Teaching students about EU institutions and how they work is not the same as promoting a pro-EU viewpoint." In other news, it covers Wales beating the All Blacks for the first time in 73 years, and the revelation that Friday's US airspace shutdown was caused by "an upgrade to remove copper wire".
The Mail on Sunday focuses on other news. It reports that a "No 10 speechwriter was caught using artificial intelligence to help craft a keynote address". According to the Mail, the individual was seen using ChatGPT by a fellow passenger.
