A woman has revealed her identity to publicly claim she was raped by British comedian Russell Brand when she was 16. Mia Latter, now 37, alleged she had been mistreated by the jailed entertainer when she was a schoolgirl and he was 30. The allegation was reported to the Metropolitan Police, and while Latter said in an interview that she had decided not to continue with the criminal process, the force has said the investigation into the alleged rape remains ongoing.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Latter waived her right to lifelong anonymity to campaign for a change in the law that she hopes will protect teenagers from grooming. She is calling for the introduction of a staggered age of consent, which would make relationships between adults and teens aged 16 and 17 illegal. Previously she had been referred to under the pseudonym Alice in reporting by the Sunday Times, The Times and the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary.S1S2

Latter said she was 16 when she met Brand in Leicester Square in central London, on her way home from a shopping trip. Brand, then working at MTV, took her number, later messaged her and asked if she wanted to go for dinner, and still asked her to meet after she told him her age. She said Brand told her to keep the relationship secret from her school friends, but his entourage knew, and the convicted rapist referred to her as "the child" in front of them. Latter alleges Brand orally raped her towards the end of their three-month relationship.S1S2

Latter spoke to police after the documentary, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to include her case in Brand's trial. She said police told her the decision was made after Brand gave the Megyn Kelly and Piers Morgan interviews, and that they did not want it to become "the Alice show". "I was devastated by it," she said. Brand was convicted of attacks against four of the six women who gave evidence against him and is now serving a 10-year sentence.S1S2

In an interview with conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly earlier this year, Brand said the age of consent in the UK is 16 and that he had slept with a 16-year-old when he was 30, describing himself as an "immature 30-year-old" and saying consensual sex with a power imbalance, such as when one party is famous, "involves exploitation". Latter responded: "He was a very successful man who had a lot of power and sway in the industry. Whereas I was a 16-year-old with no life experience, no sexual experience and no prior relationships."S1S2

Latter has decided not to continue with the criminal process so she can focus on her campaign, saying she does not know how much more of her life she can give to the case. She said the process has taken a toll on her personal life and marriage. While she said good police work had secured justice for some of the women involved, she feels the process is "criminalising".S1S2