Actor and comedian Russell Brand was convicted of raping a woman in 2009 and sexually assaulting three women on Thursday. Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand would 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 rape charges and a charge of 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. “The consequence of this will inevitably be a significant period of detention. My current view is that this is why I must detain you.”
The allegations made by the six women covered 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 during a party at a bar in London’s Soho district in the summer of 2004, sexually assaulting a woman on London radio station Choice FM in 2004 or 2005, and raping a woman at his home in Hampstead in 2009.
During the trial, the prosecutor accused Brand of being a ruthless, calculating and manipulative “sexual predator.”
brand, who He did not admit his guilt He stated that he opposed the accusations As a young man he was obsessed with sex. He said he once lived a promiscuous life but never forced anyone to do anything against their will, adding that he thought “consent was absolutely non-negotiable.”
He said the criminal case had a devastating impact on his life and family.
“My whole life has been spent with these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.
Brand’s lawyers argued that the fact that the alleged victims went to police years after the alleged attacks and following the release of a 2023 documentary containing anonymous allegations against Brand weakened them.
During the hearing, Brand suggested the reports were part of a coordinated attack because of his newfound fame as an online health influencer and political commentator.
The women featured in the documentary said they felt ready to share their stories only after reporters reached out to them; some have cited Brand’s online fame 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 extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them”.
“He used his brand influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually assault women,” she said. “As his profile has grown, so has his sense of entitlement. I hope this belief sends a clear message that no one, no matter how famous or powerful, is above the law.”
Brand’s father, Ron Brand, told the BBC he was “surprised and shocked” after the decision.
“I wasn’t expecting this, this is wrong,” he said. “Devastating.”
Known for his risky stand-up routines and struggles with drugs and alcohol, Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s by hosting television shows and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.