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Actor and comedian Russell Brand was found guilty of raping a woman in 2009 and sexually assaulting three other women on Thursday at his trial in London. Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand will be sentenced to prison.
Brand, 51, was initially charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. On Thursday, he was acquitted of two counts of rape and attempted indecent assault.
“You have been convicted of a number of crimes including rape,” Bennathan told Brand after reading Thursday’s verdict, according to CBS News partner BBC. “It is inevitable that the result will be a long term of custody. My current opinion is that I will have to arrest you.”
The allegations, made by six women, spanned a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009.
A jury of eight men and four women at Southwark Crown Court deliberated for more than eight hours over two days. They found Brand guilty of grabbing a woman’s breasts at a party at a bar in London’s Soho area in the summer of 2004, sexually assaulting a woman at London radio station Choice FM in 2004 or 2005, and raping a woman at her home in Hampstead in 2009.
During the trial, a prosecutor accused Brand of being a ruthless, calculating and manipulative “sexual predator”.
Brand, who he pleaded not guilty to the legs, he testified that he was pregnant with sex as a young man. He said that he once led a promising life but that he had never forced anyone to do something against their will, saying that he believed that “consent is completely irreconcilable.”
He said the criminal case had a terrible impact on his life and his family.
“My whole life has been consumed by these events, these accusations, these accusations,” he said.
Brand’s lawyers argued that the alleged victims were undermined because they only went to police years after the alleged assaults, and after the airing of a 2023 documentary containing anonymous allegations against Brand.
During the trial, Brand suggested the reports were part of a coordinated attack because of his prominence as an online influencer and political commentator.
The women featured in the documentary said they only felt ready to share their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s online reputation as a factor in their decision to speak out.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London’s Metropolitan Police said the conviction was “a testament to the incredible courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and told what happened to them.
“Brand used his influence, status and reputation to exploit and sexually assault women,” he said. “As his profile grew, so 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 are.”
Brand’s father, Ron Brand, told the BBC after the verdict that he was “bewildered and shocked”.
“I didn’t expect this – it’s wrong,” he said. “It’s devastating.”
Known for risqué stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s, hosting television shows and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
