Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault, faces lengthy prison term
A jury at Southwark Crown Court found Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The 51-year-old spent his first night in custody on Thursday.
Russell Brand found guilty, remanded in custody ahead of sentencing
Russell Brand spent his first night in a cell on Thursday after a jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted him of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women, the Evening Standard reports. The 51-year-old former comedian and television host now faces what the presiding judge described as an inevitable and lengthy prison sentence.
Brand exploited his public profile during his rise to fame as one of Britain's best-known stand-up comedians, a television and radio host, and a Hollywood actor. His victims gave evidence in court detailing how he had forced them into sexual activity — in some instances within seconds of a first meeting — as he pursued what prosecutors described as a deliberate goal of sexual conquest.
The jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two further rape charges and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
Brand will return to the same court on Monday to receive his sentence. His barrister, Ian Winter KC, applied for bail over the weekend as an "act of humanity" so that Brand could say goodbye to his children. Mr Justice Bennathan refused the application, citing concerns that Brand would not return to court voluntarily. Brand replied "yes My Lord" audibly when he was remanded into custody.
His wife, Laura Gallacher, who attended much of the trial, was seen to hunch over in the public gallery as the judge addressed Brand in the dock.
The offences span several years during Brand's peak public prominence. In late 2004, shortly after he began hosting Big Brother's Big Mouth, Brand sexually assaulted a woman at the Nordic bar in Soho, central London, grabbing her at a party attended by former MTV colleagues. The same woman alleged he dragged her to the men's toilets and orally raped her; the jury acquitted him on that count.
In 2005, a worker at Capital Radio told jurors that Brand pinned her against a wall during a visit to the station and groped and kissed her. The jury found Brand guilty of sexually assaulting her. She told the court that members of his entourage witnessed the assault and laughed.
Also in 2009, Brand was convicted of anally raping a 21-year-old fan at his £2.3 million Hampstead townhouse, days after they met at one of his Hammersmith Apollo shows. That same year, during a recording session at Channel 4, he sexually assaulted another woman by forcing his head into her groin after she had been instructed to give him a massage.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that investigations remain ongoing into two separate allegations of rape made against Brand. Court documents revealed at pre-trial hearings disclosed that one complaint involves a woman who was a 16-year-old schoolgirl when she dated Brand, who was then 30.
The case stems from an investigation published in September 2023 by journalists from The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches, in which women alleged they had been raped, sexually abused, and degraded by Brand. The reporting prompted four women to come forward with criminal allegations; two further women contacted police after Brand had been formally charged.
Brand, once described as one of Britain's most prominent entertainers, had in recent years repositioned himself as a conspiracy theorist with a substantial online following. He has consistently denied all allegations of non-consensual sexual activity.
Source: Evening Standard