Russell Brand Convicted of Rape and Sexual Assault in London
Russell Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault at London’s Southwark Crown Court, putting the prominent comedian and actor in custody ahead of senten...
Russell Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault at London’s Southwark Crown Court, putting the prominent comedian and actor in custody ahead of sentencing. The jury found him guilty of one rape and three sexual assaults involving four women.
The verdict was delivered Thursday after jurors deliberated for more than eight hours over two days. They acquitted Brand of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
What happens after the verdict?
Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand would receive a prison sentence when he is sentenced Monday. The judge described the term he faces as significant, but did not announce its length when the jury returned its verdict.
Brand had been free before the decision. Bennathan refused a bail request, citing the possibility that Brand might flee, and he was taken into custody.
The conviction settles the jury’s decision on the charges tried at Southwark Crown Court; sentencing remains the next court proceeding. The distinction matters: Brand has been convicted, but the judge has yet to set the prison term.
Brand, 51, denied the charges. During the trial, he testified that although he had been preoccupied with sex and had a promiscuous past, he had never made anyone do anything against their will. He also maintained that the encounters were consensual or that the allegations had been fabricated.
A case spanning more than 20 years
The allegations dated back more than 20 years. Prosecutors said the offences involved four women, and described Brand in court as a sexual predator who acted with calculation and manipulation.
Brand rose to prominence in Britain in the early 2000s through television work and a BBC radio show. He later appeared in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
The conviction marks a sharp turn in the public story of an entertainer who later moved away from mainstream media and built an online following. For the women involved, the verdict is the outcome of a criminal case that put their allegations before a jury; for the court, the immediate next step is sentencing.
Judge Bennathan also addressed the impact on Brand’s children, saying, “I regret the hardship caused to the children, of course. But the hardship has been caused by serious criminal offending by their father.” The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Monday.
