Russell Brand’s fall is complete. A London jury on Thursday found the 51-year-old British comedian and actor GUILTY of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, ending a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court — and the judge told him to expect a significant prison sentence.
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for about eight and a half hours before returning unanimous verdicts. Brand was convicted of raping a 21-year-old fan he met after one of his stand-up shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting an MTV worker at a bar in central London in 2004, of kissing and groping another woman at her workplace in 2005, and of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker who was forced to give him a massage in 2009.
The same jury cleared Brand of two additional counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. In total he faced seven charges involving six women, with the offenses spanning 1999 to 2009 — the height of his fame. Brand had pleaded not guilty to everything, maintaining that every encounter was consensual. Prosecutors painted a very different picture, describing him as a manipulative predator who used his celebrity to exploit women.
Judge Joel Bennathan left no doubt about what comes next, telling Brand that a significant custodial term is inevitable. The judge refused to let him remain free on bail and ordered him held in custody. Sentencing is set for Monday, November 9. In England and Wales, rape carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, with sentencing guidelines ranging from four to 19 years, while each sexual assault conviction can bring up to 10 years.
The case began in September 2023, when The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches published accounts from women accusing Brand of rape, sexual assault and abusive behavior. The fallout cost him his mainstream career almost overnight, even as he rebuilt himself online as a political and wellness commentator with millions of followers. After Thursday’s verdicts, London’s Metropolitan Police said their investigation into allegations by two more women remains open.
Brand — once one of Britain’s biggest broadcasters, the star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, and the former husband of Katy Perry — stood straight in the dock as the verdicts were read and closed his eyes when the rape conviction landed. The women at the center of the case, all entitled to lifelong anonymity, finally have their answer.
Source: Reuters / CNN
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