Russell Brand conviction: Met Police expects flood of new rape allegations from ten-plus women
Scotland Yard is preparing to investigate reports from at least ten more potential victims, as PM Andy Burnham pledges to review rape trial conduct.
Scotland Yard braces for wave of new Brand allegations
Scotland Yard detectives are preparing to examine fresh intelligence from at least ten more women suspected of having been targeted by Russell Brand, as the Evening Standard reports that investigators anticipate a significant increase in the number of complainants following his conviction.
Brand, 51, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of four sex attacks — three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape — after a jury deliberated for nearly nine hours. He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Monday, where he faces a lengthy prison term. Prosecutors argued he exploited his celebrity status to act as a "predator" who evaded justice for years.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley confirmed that detectives are already pursuing two further rape allegations against Brand, with case files submitted to specialist prosecutors at the Crown Prosecution Service. Speaking on LBC Radio, Sir Mark said: "We've got two other victims who've come forward who want to tell their story, and so two rape cases we're investigating. I wouldn't be surprised if many, many more come forward, and we're open to that."
Police sources fear the total number of additional victims could comfortably reach double digits, with ten currently regarded as a conservative minimum, according to The Guardian. Some intelligence received so far is third-hand, and a number of alleged victims are reportedly reluctant to engage with the criminal justice system.
Sir Mark declined to predict the final scale of the inquiry but drew on precedent: "We've seen in the past with high-profile individuals who are brought to justice that it does often bring out a flood of other cases. Let's see where this one goes."
The Metropolitan Police team behind the original prosecution is expected to begin formally analysing the new reports and intelligence the week after sentencing.
Burnham pledges review of rape trial conduct
The conviction has triggered a political response in Westminster. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, speaking to Times Radio political editor Anna Mikhailova, said he would examine how rape trials are conducted to ensure complainants do not feel as though they are themselves on trial.
"I think we need to constantly look at the way rape trials are conducted to make sure that they do not leave the woman feeling like she is on trial in court, as has been the experience of people in the past," Burnham said. "I will look closely at what Sir Mark Rowley is saying. Always prepared to make changes."
Burnham added that increasing the conviction rate for rape remained a government priority: "We need to encourage more women to come forward to report rape. We need to get the conviction rate up. It has improved, but not enough." Asked whether legislative changes were possible, he said: "I wouldn't rule anything out, of course not."
Rape myths at the centre of the trial
During the trial, Brand's defence lawyer Ian Winter KC argued that none of the complainants had "resisted or screamed or even tried to leave" — a line of argument that has since drawn sharp criticism from victim advocates.
Harriet Waxman, responding to the case, said the notion that rape victims must scream, physically resist, or immediately report an offence is a "well-established rape myth, rooted in outdated and harmful assumptions about how victims are expected to behave." She called for a legal duty within the Courts and Tribunals Bill that would require judges to direct juries on rape myths and misconceptions in every rape trial.
"Justice must be grounded in evidence, not misconceptions," Waxman said. "Consistent judicial directions would help challenge stereotypes and improve understanding of trauma."
Brand had denied all seven criminal charges brought against him: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault. The jury cleared him of two counts of rape and the attempted indecent assault charge, convicting him on four counts.
The Government has pledged to review calls for a formal crackdown on the use of rape myths in courtrooms, as the political and legal fallout from the case continues to widen.
Source: Evening Standard