British comedian and YouTuber Russell Brand was found guilty on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London. The verdicts came after a trial involving accusations made by six women.
Brand, 51, was found not guilty of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. The jury took around eight and a half hours to reach its decisions. The verdicts were unanimous, meaning all jurors agreed on the decisions.
Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand would face "significant custodial time", indicating that he is likely to receive a lengthy prison sentence. The judge scheduled his sentencing for Monday and denied him bail, according to The New York Times.
Under British sentencing guidelines, rape carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. However, prison sentences for rape more commonly range from four to 19 years. Brand's exact sentence will be decided by the judge on Monday.
Brand could face further legal action over allegations about his past sexual behaviour. London police said officers had questioned him over two additional rape accusations and had submitted files relating to these allegations to prosecutors, as reported by The New York Times.
{{/usCountry}}Brand could face further legal action over allegations about his past sexual behaviour. London police said officers had questioned him over two additional rape accusations and had submitted files relating to these allegations to prosecutors, as reported by The New York Times.
{{/usCountry}}Brand has also faced a civil legal action in the United States. His legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the verdict.
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Russell Brand rape and sexual assault case
The trial involved allegations made by six women. Prosecutors said the incidents took place between 1999 and 2009, when Brand was becoming a well-known comedian, actor and television personality.
Prosecutors described Brand as a "ruthless" sexual predator and told the jury that he had viewed women as "simply a means to an end". They presented accounts from the six women, who accused him of rape or sexual assault, according to The New York Times.
The women told the court that some of the alleged assaults happened only moments after they had first met Brand. Their accounts formed a central part of the prosecution's case.
In Britain, women who make sexual assault allegations are legally given lifelong anonymity outside the courtroom. This protection continues even after a jury delivers its verdict. Brand mostly gave short answers when he testified during the trial. He admitted that he had misused his fame to obtain sex but denied committing sexual offences.
Brand told the jury that he had always obtained consent and described consent as "fundamental, essential, necessary". His wife, Laura Brand, was the only person to give in-person evidence in his defence during the trial, according to The New York Times.
2023 Russell Brand investigation and allegations
The 2023 media investigation was separate from the criminal trial. None of the women featured in that investigation were among the six women whose allegations were examined by the jury.
However, some of the women who testified in the criminal trial told the court that they had decided to come forward after seeing the 2023 media coverage, according to The New York Times.
Before the trial, Brand's lawyer Ian Winter argued in an October pretrial hearing that his client could not receive a fair trial because media coverage had already portrayed him as a rapist.
Brand first became famous in Britain as a comedian, actor and television and radio presenter. The criminal charges covered the period from 1999, when Brand was still an aspiring comedian, to August 2009. This was also the period when his popularity was growing in Britain and abroad.