UK government to weigh staggered age of consent after Brand allegations

The allegations

Mia Latter, now 37, has waived her right to anonymity to say that Russell Brand raped her when she was 16 and he was 30. Speaking to the Sunday Times, she said they met in Leicester Square in central London, where she was walking home from a shopping trip, and that Brand was working at MTV at the time. She said he asked to meet again after she told him her age, and that he asked her to keep the relationship from her school friends. Latter alleges he orally raped her towards the end of a three-month relationship. The allegations were first published in 2023 in an investigation by the Times, the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches, which referred to her as 'Alice', and Brand denied them. The Sunday Times reported that Latter first described the incident to its reporters as a sexual assault, and she now calls it rape.

Sentencing and police

Brand, 51, was sentenced earlier in November to 10.5 years in prison after being convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults. He was cleared of two rape counts and one allegation of attempted indecent assault. None of the women named in the 2023 investigation were complainants in that trial. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to include Latter's case in the trial at Southwark Crown Court, and she says police wanted her to take part in a later trial. She told the Sunday Times she would not continue the criminal process so she could focus on her campaign, and the Metropolitan Police said its investigation into the alleged rape remains ongoing.

A staggered age of consent

Under current UK law, adults of any age may legally have sex with 16 and 17-year-olds, and the age of consent has been 16 since the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. The Sunday Times reported that ministers are proposing a staggered law that would make relationships between adults above a certain age and 16 or 17-year-olds illegal. Latter put her position in these terms:

“I don't want to criminalise teenagers having sex with each other.”

Louise Haigh, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the government's de facto deputy prime minister, said a change would deserve consideration.

“It clearly would be a massive step to change the age of consent, but it deserves proper consideration and scrutiny.”

Walliams allegations and NDAs

Separately, allegations were published against the comedian David Walliams, 55, who is accused of using his celebrity position to pursue sexual relations with girls as young as 15. The reports appeared despite an injunction Walliams had sought to block them. Walliams denies any wrongdoing but has acknowledged to the Guardian that his conduct was thoughtless. A report said a non-disclosure agreement had been used to keep one woman connected to Walliams silent. Haigh has also said there is a very strong case for banning non-disclosure agreements in all cases involving harassment or discrimination. The government says it will consider calls to change the age of consent.