Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court
A London jury found comedian Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The judge confirmed a prison sentence is expected.
Brand faces prison after rape and sexual assault convictions in London
A jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted British comedian and actor Russell Brand on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, aljazeera.com reports. The 51-year-old was acquitted of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Judge Joel Bennathan confirmed Brand would be sentenced on Monday and that a lengthy prison term was expected. Brand was taken into custody immediately after the verdict was delivered.
Prosecutors described Brand — formerly one of Britain's most prominent broadcasters and the former husband of pop star Katy Perry — as a "ruthless" sexual predator. Brand had denied all allegations, maintaining that the encounters were either consensual or entirely fabricated.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London's Metropolitan Police said the conviction was "a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them." Furphy added that Brand had used "his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women," and that "as his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement."
The charges covered incidents between 1999 and 2009 — the years during which Brand rose from performing stand-up comedy in small venues to working as a television presenter and Hollywood film star, appearing in productions including Get Him to the Greek and Arthur.
Six complainants gave testimony during the trial. All are entitled to lifelong anonymity and none knew each other prior to the case. Each came forward to police following a television documentary and press reports published in 2023 that contained anonymous allegations against Brand by other women.
The most serious conviction related to a rape that took place in 2009. The victim had met Brand after a gig, where a sexual encounter had occurred in his dressing room. She told the court that days later, at his home, he anally raped her during what had begun as consensual sex, and afterwards instructed her to clean up the blood.
Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at a London bar in 2004. That complainant told the court he approached her at a party and grabbed her breasts without consent.
A third conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident in which Brand was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman during a shared promotional project. The court heard that he demanded she give him a massage before placing his head between her legs in front of two colleagues.
The fourth conviction concerned a woman who worked at a radio station and was assaulted in 2004 or 2005. She told the court the assault took place in front of Brand's entourage.
Source: Google News MT