Russell Brand convicted of rape and multiple sexual assaults by London court

RUSSELL BRAND HAS been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of raping a young fan he met after one of his Hammersmith Apollo shows in 2009.

In London today, the same jury found him not guilty of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.

He was also found not guilty of trying to drag an MTV worker into a toilet to indecently assault her in 2001.

Brand (51) is 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.

He is guilty of sexually assaulting a Capital Radio worker after encountering her in a corridor in 2005.

Jurors also found Brand guilty of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker during a forced massage in 2009.

He has been remanded in custody until his sentencing on Monday and has been told to expect a lengthy sentence.

Russell Brand with his wife Laura Gallacher outside Southwark Crown Court in London today Alamy

Brand displayed no emotion as he was found guilty, other than to close his eyes when the guilty verdict on the rape charge was announced.

After the verdict, the judge told him to sit down.

“Mr Winter, Ms Karmy-Jones, just on what happens next given the verdict on count six at least, obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result,” Mr Justice Bennathan said.

The case was “very well-prepared”, the judge said, adding that the sentencing hearing would take place on Monday.

The judge told Brand the consequence of the verdicts is a “significant custodial term”.

Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, appealed for Brand to be given bail ahead of his sentencing as an “act of humanity”.

The barrister said one of Brand’s children had celebrated their birthday on Wednesday, and they are not yet aware of his convictions.

He said bail would allow Brand to “put his affairs in order and in particular to say goodbye to his three young children”.

The judge said he regrets “the hardship caused to the children, of course”, but Brand “has considerable resources” and there are “substantial grounds to fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence”.

As the judge remanded him into custody, Brand signalled to his defence team that he was okay.

He made okay gestures and repeatedly said the words “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good”, before being taken out of the dock.

Courage of victims

The Metropolitan Police said its detectives had spoken to more than 100 witnesses and reviewed thousands of documents as part of the investigation.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said the victims had “extraordinary courage, resilience and determination”.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy from the Metropolitan Police (left) and David Roberts from the Crown Prosecution Service speaking to the media outside Southwark Crown Court after the verdicts were delivered Alamy

“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,” Furphy said.

He also said he hopes the verdict sends a message to people that “no one is above the law”.

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.

The Met began investigating after allegations involving Brand were reported by Channel 4′s Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times in September 2023.

Officers were subsequently contacted by a number of women who were not known to each other.

The Met said that the “non-recent nature” of the reports meant there was no CCTV or forensic evidence available, making the investigation more challenging.

“Detectives worked to piece together the circumstances surrounding each allegation, carefully identifying evidence that could support and verify the accounts provided by the women,” a statement said.

“They also established detailed timelines and obtained historical floor plans and photographs of locations linked to the reports, including a former address of Brand and a former workplace. This formed part of an extensive investigation involving hundreds of lines of enquiry.”

During four separate police interviews, Brand was provided with detailed accounts of the allegations but repeatedly claimed he did not recognise the women involved. Detectives tested those assertions against the evidence.

As the case approached trial, Brand’s account changed, prompting prosecuting counsel to describe his recollection as “selective memory”.

The Met said they also reviewed hundreds of hours of Brand’s stand-up performances, television appearances, interviews and podcasts. They also read all of Brand’s books.

This work, they said, helped them establish timelines, test witness accounts and identify inconsistencies in the explanations Brand gave during police interviews.

With reporting by Mairead Maguire