Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting multiple women. The 51-year-old comedian and actor was told to expect a “significant” jail term when he is sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday and he will be remanded in custody. Mr Justice Bentham told Brand: “You’ve been convicted of a number of offences including rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term. My current view is that I therefore have to remand you into custody.” Shorts Brand had been accused of groping women and forcing them into sexual acts in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009. Following a five-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury found Brand guilty of one charge of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Brand closed his eyes, stood upright in the dock and showed limited emotion as mixed verdicts on the charges were delivered. He was found guilty of anally raping a 21-year-old fan after meeting her at a 2009 stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo. He was also found guilty of groping another MTV worker during a party at a Soho bar in 2004, but not guilty of going on to orally rape her in a toilet. Jurors found Brand guilty of sexually assaulting a Capital Radio worker after encountering her in a corridor in 2005 and guilty of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker during a forced massage in 2009. Brand was found not guilty of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. The jury also found him not guilty of trying to drag an MTV worker in to a toilet to indecently assault her in 2001. Brand under investigation over two further alleged rapes Following the conclusion of the verdicts, the Metropolitan Police said Brand is under investigation for other allegations of rape made by two women. A spokesperson said: “The Met’s investigation into allegations of rape made by two women remains ongoing. The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations. “Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants.” Sexual allegations against Brand first came to light in a joint investigation published by The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches in 2023. Essex-born Brand started out as a stand-up comedian, and his showbiz career took off when he was picked to front Big Brother spin-off shows by Channel 4. He became one of Britain’s best-known comedians in the 2000s and won presenting roles including the 2007 Brit Awards, Comic Relief and the MTV Music Video Awards, and hosted his own show on BBC Radio 2. He made the move into Hollywood films with roles including an Arthur remake, comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 2012 musical comedy Rock of Ages. In recent years, he has pivoted to podcasting and online influencing, and now lives in Florida. Prosecutors described Brand as a predator who had forced women into sexual acts during his “obsessive” pursuit of sleeping with 5,000 women. Brand attended court with his wife Laura Gallacher and said the allegations made against him were “devastating”. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.