A television producer alleged to have laughed while Russell Brand placed his head on a woman's groin has stepped back from his position as head of comedy at the London production company behind Michaela Coel's sexual assault drama "I May Destroy You."

Jack Bayles, who leads comedy at Various Artists Limited, was said to have been present in 2009 when Brand demanded that a Channel 4 employee give him a massage during a shoot.

According to The Times, the court heard that Bayles and another member of Brand's entourage, Gareth Roy, told the woman the comedian would only continue working if she gave him a massage. She reported what happened to her bosses at Channel 4 the following day.

The woman's workplace manager, who gave evidence during the trial, said the victim had complained to her that she was told several times to "just do it" by Bayles and Roy. During the incident, Brand also put his head in the woman's groin area.

In a statement to the court, the manager said she was told the men "were both there the whole time and watched and laughed while Mr Brand sexually assaulted her right in front of them," according to The Times.

Brand was found guilty of sexually assaulting the Channel 4 employee on Thursday, along with two other counts of sexual assault and one count of rape.

Following the verdict, a representative for VAL said: "We have asked Jack Bayles to step back from the company whilst we consider the verdict and events surrounding the trial. Our thoughts, though, are primarily with every one of Brand's victims at this time."

Bayles joined VAL, which was founded in 2017 by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, four years ago as head of comedy, where he oversaw the company's comedy slate and developed new projects. He previously produced "Catastrophe" with Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney and was appointed a Channel 4 commissioning editor in 2017.

In a statement to The Times, Bayles said he was "appalled and sickened by Brand's actions" and had "co-operated fully and voluntarily with the investigation." He said he did not remember the incident from 17 years ago in 2009, but acknowledged: "I clearly missed something at the time and did not see nor recognise that it caused distress. For that I am sincerely sorry."

Bayles added that at the time of the offence he was in the early stages of his career in what he described as a "frantic, pressured and toxic working environment," calling Brand "chaotic, dismissive" and manipulative of those around him. He said he stopped working with Brand in 2010 and has had no contact with him since, and that no complaints about Brand's behaviour were made to him during their time working together. "If I was ever present when Brand acted inappropriately and I failed to spot it and step in, then I sincerely apologise," he said.