Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault, and is now expected to face a substantial prison sentence.

A jury found the entertainer guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape, and one count of attempted indecent assault. The jury deliberated for eight-and-a-half hours.

Brand was taken into custody after the verdicts were delivered, and was refused bail. He is due to be sentenced on Monday.

It can now be reported that Brand is also facing further rape allegations made by two women.

In the trial, Brand faced allegations from six women spanning the decade between 1999 and 2009, when he rose to fame as one of Britain's most high-profile entertainers.

The women came to court to reveal how Brand used his immense fame to force them into sexual activity.

Brand, who told his wife Laura Gallacher "I love you" after entering the dock, displayed no emotion as the jury delivered its verdicts.

Afterwards Brand mouthed "I'm good, I'm good" to his defence counsel as he left the dock. His walk was steadily paced, and he continued to show little emotion.

The judge told Brand to expect "a significant custodial term" after the verdicts were delivered.

The jury found Brand guilty of groping an MTV worker during a party at a Soho bar in 2004, but not guilty of going on to rape her in a toilet.

Brand was found guilty of raping a fan after meeting her at a 2009 stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo.

He was convicted of kissing and groping a Choice FM worker after encountering her in a corridor at the Capital Radio building in 2004 or 2005.

Brand was also convicted by the jury of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009 when she had been forced to give him a massage.

Brand was found not guilty by the jury of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.

He was also cleared of trying to drag an MTV worker in to a toilet to indecently assault her in 2001.

After the verdict, Mr Justice Bennathan told lawyers for the prosecution and defence that, following the guilty verdict on the count of rape, "obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result".

Brand had claimed to be the victim of a media conspiracy to paint him as a sexual predator and insisted in court that consent was "more important than sex itself".

But he faced the compelling evidence of six women who accused him of crimes over the course of a decade.

Brand was also confronted with his own words from his 2007 book in which he claimed sex was a "birthright" and friends who revealed his relentless pursuit of sleeping with 5,000 women.

Mr Justice Bennathan ruled that Brand must be remanded into custody until sentencing on Monday, when he is expected to receive a lengthy prison sentence.

The judge said: "I regret the hardship caused to the children, of course", after being told that Brand would like bail over the weekend to explain the convictions to his children.

But he said Brand "has considerable resources", adding: "Whatever the good intentions of the family and the defendant today, I think there are substantial grounds to fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence."

Brand is also being investigated over further rape allegations made by two women, and has already been questioned by officers in relation to the complaints.

The 51-year-old has already been questioned by officers in relation to the complaints.

The Metropolitan Police said its investigation into the allegations "remains ongoing", although no further victims came forward during the trial.

Detectives are said to be "pursuing all reasonable lines of inquiry wherever they take us".

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "Today's verdict is first and foremost a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them.

"Despite intense media and public scrutiny, they relived deeply personal and traumatic experiences and placed their trust in us. Without their bravery, this outcome would not have been possible.

"Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women. As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement.

He 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."

David Roberts, senior crown prosecutor in the London rape and serious sexual assault unit, described Brand as "predatory".

"He was a manipulator with an insatiable desire to get what he wanted regardless of whether consent was given or not," Roberts said.

"As his career took off, he seized opportunities to assault the women around him. Although his tactics varied, at the centre of every assault was an abuse of power and sexual greed, with a complete disregard for the impact of his actions.

"I would like to thank all the women in this case for their courage in coming forward and seeing this sexual abuser brought to justice."

Ron Brand, Russell's father told the BBC he was "bemused and shocked" by the verdicts, adding: "I just didn't expect this - it's wrong... "it's devastating".

In his evidence, Brand admitted using his fame to "facilitate sexual access" and being "obsessed" with sex and "extremely promiscuous" in the past.

He said he had "dedicated a lot of my life to what seems now beyond reckless, philandering, and idiocy".

But he insisted the sex was always consensual, and he denied all the charges.

His barrister told jurors that Brand "had an immense amount of sex", but that "none of it was unlawful".

The jury disagreed.

Allegations about Brand's behaviour first emerged in the media in September 2023.

The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme jointly reported that four women had accused him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse - claims he strongly denied.

The investigation into other reports against Brand began soon after the story broke.

Brand first rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations including BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.

He went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek. He was married to pop star Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012.

In recent years he has reinvented himself as an online social, political and religious commentator.

Channel 4, which aired Big Brother and its spin-off programmes at the time Brand was a presenter, said in a statement: "Our thoughts are first and foremost with the six women involved in the case against Russell Brand, including those affected by the crimes for which he has been convicted.

"We recognise the profound impact of these crimes and commend the extraordinary courage of all those who gave evidence as prosecution witnesses at trial."

Louisa Compton, Channel 4's director of news, digital and audience trust, added that the outcome of the trial "belongs to all of the women who had the courage to speak out".

She cited "all of those who participated in the criminal process and those different women who shared their testimony" in the channel's investigation with the Times and Sunday Times.

"The trial heard that women involved in the criminal case came forward after seeing the Channel 4 Dispatches film," she said.