Russell Brand Verdict: Guilty on Rape and Assault Counts

A jury at Southwark Crown Court found Russell Brand guilty of a single count of rape and three counts of sexual assault on Thursday 5 November, convicting the comedian and actor over attacks on four women. The Brand verdict came after eight and a half hours of deliberation at the end of a trial that began on 12 October, in which Brand, 51, denied all seven charges against him.

Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand that a significant custodial term would inevitably follow and remanded him in custody until sentencing. BBC journalist Sima Kotecha, who was in court as the verdicts were read out, reported that Brand sat incredibly still and appeared to show no emotion.

The charges and the verdicts

Jurors convicted Brand of raping a 21-year-old fan he met after a stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. They also found him guilty of groping an MTV worker at a party in a Soho bar in 2004, of sexually assaulting a Capital Radio worker he encountered in a corridor in 2005, and of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker during a forced massage later that year.

The jury cleared Brand of the remaining counts, which included an alleged rape at a cabaret show on the fringes of a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth and an attempted indecent assault involving an MTV worker. Speaking to Brand after the verdicts, Mr Justice Bennathan said: "You've been convicted of a number of offences including rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term."

Lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC told jurors during the trial that Brand was obsessed with sex and used women to satisfy his own desires. His barrister, Ian Winter KC, rejected the prosecution's portrayal of his client. When Brand gave evidence, he answered no when asked whether he was guilty of the charges. He had entered not guilty pleas to every charge. His wife, Laura Gallacher, sat in the public gallery as the verdicts were delivered.

How the case reached court

The case began with a joint investigation published in September 2023 by The Sunday Times and the Dispatches programme, in which women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and abusive behaviour at the height of his fame. The Metropolitan Police opened an investigation, and prosecutors later added further charges involving more women. The charges concerned six women and stretched back to 1999.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the original charges after reviewing the evidence gathered by police, and further charges followed as the investigation continued. Prosecutors said the jury's verdicts were unanimous.

Brand was once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters, according to Reuters, and starred in several Hollywood movies, including a voice role in Despicable Me. He was formerly married to US pop singer Katy Perry. He rose to fame in British television in the early 2000s and presented radio programmes for the BBC before resigning in 2008. A dozen jurors heard testimony from the complainants and witnesses over several weeks before reaching unanimous verdicts on every count.

The women who gave evidence in the case are entitled to lifelong anonymity under British law, and their identities have not been published.

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What happens next

Brand will be sentenced on Monday 9 November at Southwark Crown Court. Rape carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in England and Wales, and the judge has already made clear that a substantial prison term will follow. Brand remains in custody until then.

The Metropolitan Police said Brand remains under investigation over rape allegations made by two more women, with files submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. In a statement, the force said: "The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations." Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy led the Metropolitan Police investigation. No date has been set for any decision on the further allegations, which remain with prosecutors.

Reporting from the trial is published by Hello Magazine, and Tyla carries the Metropolitan Police statement in full.