Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape and Sexual Assault in London

LONDON

Russell Brand was convicted on Thursday of rape and sexual assault at the end of a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. A jury found the 51-year-old comedian and actor guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, Reuters reported. The same jury acquitted him of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.

The offences he was convicted of were committed against four women between 2004 and 2009, the Metropolitan Police said. He was convicted of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009, after they met at one of his stand-up shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in west London. The three sexual assaults were an attack on an MTV worker at a bar in Soho in 2004, an assault on a woman at her workplace in 2005, and an assault on a Channel 4 worker in 2009, who was forced to give him a massage. Prosecutors had described Brand as a ruthless sexual predator, Reuters reported.

Brand had faced seven charges in all, involving six women, with the alleged offences dating from 1999 to 2009. He pleaded not guilty to every charge and denied any wrongdoing. In his own evidence, reported by USA Today, he admitted he had “misused” his fame “very, very selfishly” to have sexual encounters with women, but testified that he never engaged in non-consensual activity. His lawyer, Ian Winter, argued the case had been “thoroughly contaminated” by Channel 4’s 2023 Dispatches documentary, which first aired anonymous allegations against Brand. The jury of eight men and four women returned unanimous verdicts after deliberating for more than eight hours over two days, the Associated Press reported. Brand stood in the dock as the verdicts were read and closed his eyes when the rape conviction was announced, CNN reported.

Sent to custody to await sentencing

Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand: “You’ve been convicted of a number of offences including rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term.” The judge remanded him in custody, and he will be sentenced at the same court on Monday, Nov. 9. In England and Wales, rape carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment; sentencing guidelines reported by USA Today set a range of four to 19 years in custody for the offence, and a sexual assault conviction can carry up to 10 years.

Police: two more allegations under investigation

In its statement after the verdict, the Metropolitan Police quoted Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who said the verdict was “first and foremost a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them.” He said Brand “used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women,” and added: “I hope this conviction sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be.” Police said the investigation involved interviews with more than 100 witnesses and a review of thousands of documents.

The Metropolitan Police said their investigation into allegations of rape made by two further women remains ongoing. Brand has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with those allegations. No charges have been brought over them.

When the original charges were announced in April 2025, Brand answered in a video posted on X. “I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile,” he said. “But what I never was was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity.” The judge thanked the jury after the verdicts and said the case had been “very well prepared,” CNN reported.

The investigation began in September 2023, after The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches published allegations against Brand. He was charged in 2025, and prosecutors added two further charges in December 2025, bringing the total he faced to seven. There was no immediate public comment from Brand or his representatives after the verdicts.