Russell Brand convicted of rape, sexual assault in UK

Prosecutors described Brand as using his celebrity to gain sexual access to women; police are investigating two further rape complaints.MANCHESTER, England (CN) — British comedian and actor Russell Brand was found guilty Thursday of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others, following a four-week trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.Brand, 51, was remanded in custody after Judge Joel Bennathan rejected his bail application.He is due to be sentenced Monday. The judge said Brand should expect “a custodial sentence of some length.”The case involved seven charges concerning six women, with the offenses dating from 1999 to 2009, as Brand rose to prominence as a comedian, television presenter and radio host.The convictions concern four separate encounters in 2004, 2005 and 2009.Outside court, David Roberts of the Crown Prosecution Service said, “The evidence showed Brand to be a calculated sexual predator, using his growing fame and power to create situations in which he could pursue women sexually, regardless of what they wanted.”The women who brought complaints have lifelong anonymity under U.K. law and cannot be publicly identified.Four guilty verdictsThe jury found Brand guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at a party in London’s Soho district in the summer of 2004. The charge concerned an incident in which he grabbed the woman’s breasts.He was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman who worked at a London radio station in the summer of 2004 or 2005. Prosecutors said Brand pinned the woman against a wall and groped her during the encounter.The jury found Brand guilty of raping a fifth complainant at his home in Hampstead, north London, between the winter and spring of 2009.The woman had met Brand after attending one of his performances at the Hammersmith Apollo. Prosecutors said the pair initially had consensual vaginal sex before Brand turned the woman over and raped her anally.She told the court she asked him to stop, but he continued.Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting a sixth woman in 2009 while she was working on a project for Channel 4, a British television broadcaster.Prosecutors said Brand’s companions told the woman he would not complete the work unless she gave him a massage. Brand then put his head in her lap, with his nose and mouth near her genitals.The woman complained about the encounter at work at the time but felt her concerns were not taken seriously.Brand denied assaulting her and said he could not remember asking her for a massage.Women describe encounters spanning a decadeBrand initially faced three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault.During the trial, the judge reduced the indecent assault charge to attempted indecent assault, ruling there was insufficient evidence to support the original charge.Lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told jurors at the start of the trial that the six women did not know one another and had come forward independently.She described Brand as charming and funny when he wanted something but demanding and entitled when he did not get his way. Karmy-Jones said his desire for sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious.She also described testimony from a former friend who recalled traveling with Brand to a political conference in 1999. Brand purportedly described himself as a womanizer and expert pickup artist, saying he wanted to sleep with 5,000 women in his lifetime.One of his supposed rules was to tell women what they wanted to hear, the friend recalled.Brand maintains encounters were consensualBrand testified for about four hours in his own defense, denying raping or sexually assaulting any of the women.He said he believed the sexual encounters were consensual and described the impact of a 2023 Channel 4 documentary containing accusations against him as devastating.He also said he had been unable to persuade anyone to testify in his support.During questioning, Brand acknowledged using his fame selfishly to gain sexual access to women. He said he now recognized his past behavior had been wrong but denied engaging in nonconsensual sexual activity.Police investigate further rape complaintsBrand is also being investigated over further rape complaints made by two women.He has already been questioned by Metropolitan Police officers in connection with the complaints, with the force saying its investigation remains ongoing.The complaints are separate from the seven charges decided by the jury on Thursday.Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads