A London jury has found comedian and actor Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The actor had been charged with seven counts: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Following Thursday’s verdict, London’s Metropolitan Police told Yahoo News that Brand, 51, faces new rape allegations from two women.
“The suspect has already been interviewed under caution in relation to these allegations,” the force said in a statement. The brand has not been charged in connection with these claims.
After a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, the jury found Brand guilty of four of the charges. He was acquitted of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
He is due to be sentenced on Monday, November 9 at Southwark Crown Court. The judge said he should expect a long prison sentence.
Brand became a household name in the UK in the 2000s as a comedian and broadcaster. He later starred in films Take it to Greek in 2010 and Arthur the following year.
He married singer Katy Perry in October 2010, but Brand filed for divorce in December 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in July 2012.
The complaints against Brand were made by six different women, between 1999 and 2009. None of the women knew each other, but all came forward to police following a television documentary and newspaper articles in 2023, in which anonymous allegations were made by other women.
Russell Brand was accompanied by his wife, Laura, during the trial.
(Neil Mockford via Getty Images)During the trial, the court heard tearful and powerful testimony from the six plaintiffs, all of whom are entitled to anonymity for life.
The convictions included a 2009 rape involving a victim who went to Brand’s home after meeting him at one of his concerts. She said she had consensual sex, but that Brand then raped her and removed a condom.
Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman when he grabbed her breasts in a London bar in 2004.
He was also convicted of a 2009 incident in which he asked a woman to give him a massage in front of two of his colleagues and then put her head in his groin.
A third charge of sexual assault was upheld when Brand was convicted of pushing a woman who worked at a radio station against a wall and forcibly kissing her.
Brand denied the accusations and said he never forced anyone to do anything against their will.
CCTV footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows Brand being questioned by police in custody in December 2023.
“As I have stated publicly many times and written extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I spent years openly denouncing,” Brand can be seen saying. “I have never had non-consensual sex.”
He said he “did not remember the names” of the complainants, or how they met, adding: “However, it is entirely possible that I met them and that we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact which has since been reimagined.”
Following the verdict, the judge told Brand that he would be remanded in custody.
“You have been convicted of several offences, including rape,” Judge Joel Bennathan said. “The consequence of this is inevitably a significant custody sentence. My current view is that I must therefore remand you in custody.”
In a statement, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, of the London Metropolitan Police Service, said: “Today’s verdict is, above all, a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and spoke out about what happened to them. »
The statement added: “Brand used his influence, status and fame to sexually exploit and offend women.
“As his notoriety grew, so did his sense of entitlement. I hope this belief sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be.”
Ron Brand, Russell’s father, told the BBC he was “shocked” by the verdicts. “I didn’t expect this, it’s not true,” he said. “It’s devastating.”
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