A London jury convicted the comedian of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a monthlong trial.
A London jury found comedian and actor Russell Brand guilty on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, concluding a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, Deadline reported. Jurors acquitted the 51-year-old of two additional counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The verdict followed weeks of testimony where prosecutors delivered closing arguments describing Brand as a calculating sexual predator who used his celebrity status to abuse women. Earlier in the trial, Brand took the witness stand to deny all the allegations, saying his sexual encounters were consensual and that dealing with the accusations had devastated his family life.
The charges and the jury verdict
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for more than eight hours across two days, CBS News reported. Judge Joel Bennathan required a unanimous verdict across each of the seven counts, and the courtroom remained completely silent as the findings were read, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The proceedings wrapped up in less than four weeks, finishing ahead of an initial estimate of at least six weeks.
Jurors convicted Brand of anally raping a woman at his home in Hampstead in 2009 after the two had engaged in consensual sex. The jury also found him guilty on three counts of sexual assault involving three other accusers. Those offenses included grabbing a woman’s breasts at a bar in London’s Soho district in the summer of 2004, assaulting a woman at the radio station Choice FM in 2004 or 2005, and pressing his face into a woman’s groin while demanding a massage in 2009.
Jurors didn’t convict Brand on two other rape charges, acquitting him of an alleged assault in a hotel room after the 1999 Labour Party Conference and an accusation of oral rape inside the restrooms of a London bar in 2004. He was also cleared of attempted indecent assault involving an MTV colleague in 2001, a charge the judge reduced during the trial from indecent assault because of insufficient evidence.
Evidence and arguments heard during the trial
The allegations against Brand spanned a decade from 1999 to 2009, covering his rise from an unknown stand-up comedian to an international media figure. Brand hosted television programs and a BBC radio show, starred in films including ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ and ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ and was married to singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012, NBC News reported. In recent years, Brand relocated to Florida and built an online following centered on wellness, American politics and his Christian faith.
All six accusers, who hold lifelong anonymity under British law, went to police after viewing a 2023 Channel 4 documentary and reading investigative reporting in The Times. Brand’s defense attorney, Ian Winter, argued that the media coverage poisoned the justice process and prompted the women to recast lawful, consensual experiences. The defense maintained that Brand lived a promiscuous lifestyle but never forced anyone into non-consensual acts.
Brand testified that he had been sex-obsessed in his youth, but maintained that consent was non-negotiable. He told the jury that the accusations had isolated him, saying, “My entire life has been consumed by these events.” His former personal assistant, Helen Berger, gave evidence regarding his sexual appetite, while his wife, Laura Gallacher, testified that he is a kind father to their three young children.
Sentencing and reactions to the decision
Following the verdicts, Judge Bennathan told Brand that a significant custodial prison term was inevitable and ordered him remanded into custody. Brand will appear in court for sentencing on Monday.
Police and family members reacted quickly to the court’s decision. London Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy commended the complainants for stepping forward, stating, “Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women.” Brand’s father, Ron Brand, told the BBC that he was shocked and devastated by the verdict, adding that he didn’t expect his son to be convicted.
