Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault by London jury

British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault by a London court and now faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence.

A jury at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday found the 51-year-old guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Brand, once one of Britain's most prominent broadcasters and the former husband of American pop star Katy Perry, had denied the allegations. He argued that the encounters were consensual or that the claims against him had been fabricated. Prosecutors described Brand, who starred in the films Get Him to the Greek and Arthur, as a "ruthless" sexual predator.

Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand would be sentenced on Monday and faced a lengthy prison term. Brand was taken into custody following the verdict.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London's Metropolitan Police said the conviction was "a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them". He added: "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."

Prosecutors said the charges, covering incidents between 1999 and 2009, spanned the period in which Brand rose from performing stand-up comedy in small venues to becoming a television presenter and Hollywood film star. The court heard testimony from six complainants, all entitled to lifelong anonymity. None of the women knew each other, but all approached police after a television documentary and press reports in 2023 carried anonymous allegations against Brand made by other women.

The most graphic evidence concerned the rape for which Brand was convicted, which took place in 2009. The victim had met Brand after a gig, where she had engaged in a sexual encounter in his dressing room. She told the court that days later she went to his home, where during consensual sex he anally raped her. Afterwards, he told her to clean up the blood and mess, she said.

Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at a London bar in 2004. The woman told the court he approached her at a party and grabbed her breasts. In a separate incident in 2009, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman while they worked on a promotional project. The court heard he demanded she give him a massage before putting his head between her legs in front of two of his colleagues.

He was further convicted of sexually assaulting a woman who worked at a radio station in 2004 or 2005. The woman told the court that he assaulted her in front of his entourage.