Woman alleges rape at 16 and campaigns for a staggered age of consent

Mia Latter has waived her anonymity to campaign for a change in age-of-consent law after alleging that Russell Brand raped her when she was 16 and he was 30. The 37-year-old was previously known as Alice in a 2023 media investigation. Brand denied her allegations when they were first reported. Her allegation is separate from the offences for which he was convicted this month, and it has not resulted in a conviction.

Latter wants a staggered age of consent that would protect 16-and 17-year-olds from sexual relationships with much older adults while not criminalising teenagers' relationships with one another. She argues that the central issue is the imbalance of power between a school-age teenager and a celebrity adult. This is a campaign for legal change, not an announcement that a new law has been passed.

She says she met Brand while returning from a shopping trip in central London and that he continued to contact her after learning her age. She alleges that he told her to keep their relationship secret from school friends and referred to her as the child in front of his entourage. Towards the end of their relationship, she says, he orally raped her. The earlier investigation had described the alleged incident as sexual assault; she now describes it as rape.

Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10 and a half years in prison for one count of rape and three sexual assaults. He was acquitted of two rape charges and one allegation of attempted indecent assault. None of the women featured in the 2023 media investigation were complainants in that recent trial. The separate conviction must therefore not be used as proof of Latter's allegation.

Latter says she does not intend to continue with the criminal process because she wants to concentrate on her campaign. Police, however, say an investigation launched in January 2026 remains open. The Metropolitan Police said prosecutors had advised that further information was needed before a charging decision, and acknowledged that the delay had been distressing. The Crown Prosecution Service said it would continue advising investigators and help cases progress as quickly as possible. Her stated wish and the police's description of an ongoing investigation are both part of the current position.