British comedian and actor Russell Brand faces a “significant” jail sentence after being found guilty in a London court of rape and sexual assault.
Warning: This article includes allegations of sexual assault some readers may find distressing.
The 51-year-old had been on trial in Southwark Crown Court on three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault relating to six women in the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2009.
After deliberating for eight and a half hours, a jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Brand raped a young fan he met after his Scandalous show at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009.
The woman went to his home in the days that followed to have consensual sex with the comedian, but said he suddenly took things further without consent and would not stop when she asked him to.
The three sexual assault guilty verdicts relate to a woman Brand met in a bar in 2004, a woman at radio station around the same time and a woman he was working on a project with for Channel 4 in 2009.
Brand was found not guilty on two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The comedian had denied all the offences.
In his police interview in 2023, Brand, reading from a piece of paper, told officers the allegations had been “invented or re-imagined”.
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“I’ve led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I’ve spent years openly denouncing; I’ve never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity,” he told police.
“At present I do not recall the names of the complainants or meeting them, however it is entirely possible that I may have encountered them and that we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact that has been since re-imagined.”
Judge Joel Bennathan revoked Brand’s bail, because the rape verdict would mean “inevitably a significant custodial sentence”.
When the verdicts were read out Brand stood still and showed no emotion.
His wife Laura, who has attended most days of the trial, was in tears.
Russell Brand has been remanded in custody. (Reuters: Toby Shepheard)
When Brand was denied bail and led away by court offices, he gave the thumbs up to his legal team and the ok hand signal while nodding.
He will be sentenced on Monday.
Brand was one of the UK’s most high-profile comedians, presenters and actors during the 2000s.
During the trial, the prosecution described him as “ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator”, who used women as a “means to an end”.
All six of his accusers gave evidence and were cross-examined from behind a screen — UK law grants them lifelong anonymity.
The jury was also played the women’s police interviews.
All six did not know each other and came forward independently after seeing a 2023 documentary and news reports will allegations about the comedian.
Brand himself spent a day in the witness box.
Russell Brand gave evidence in his trial at Southwark Crown Court. (Elizabeth Cook via AP)
The comedian told the court he was “obsessed” with sex in the past, but was adamant he never engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity.
Before sending the jury out to deliberate, Judge Joel Bennathan told the four women and eight men that consent was the “million-dollar question”.
UK police investigating new offences
With verdicts in this trial delivered, it can now be reported that Brand is still being investigated by police for allegedly raping two more women.
No charges have been laid.
“The Met’s investigation into allegations of rape made by two women remains ongoing,” a Met spokesperson said in a statement to the ABC.
“The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations.”
The spokesperson said files had been submitted to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service about both women, and detectives are “in close contact with prosecutors as enquiries continue and further investigative work is carried out”.
The police have called for anyone with information to come forward.
This picture of actor and comedian Russell Brand in 2009 was tendered as evidence during his criminal trial. (Supplied: Met Police)
Brand was ‘predatory’, authorities say
London’s Metropolitan Police said the verdict in the trial was “a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them”.
“Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women,” Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said.
“As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement.
“I hope this conviction sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be.”
The UK Crown Prosecution Service referred to Brand as “predatory”.
“He was a manipulator with an insatiable desire to get what he wanted regardless of whether consent was given or not,” Senior Crown Prosecutor David Roberts said.
“Although his tactics varied, at the centre of every assault was an abuse of power and sexual greed, with a complete disregard for the impact of his actions.”
Source: www.abc.net.au
