Russell Brand was convicted in Southwark Crown Court on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, with sentencing scheduled for Monday.
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Russell Brand was convicted Thursday of rape and sexual assault charges involving allegations dating back more than 20 years, with sentencing set for Monday.
In court, Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand will receive a prison term when he is sentenced and Brand was taken into custody.
Prosecutors described Brand as a “sexual predator,” calling him ruthless, calculating and manipulative.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court, made up of eight men and four women, deliberated for more than eight hours over two days before returning the verdict.
Brand, 51, denied the charges and testified that he was obsessed with sex as a young man and had once lived a promiscuous lifestyle, but said he had never forced anyone to do something against their will.
The conviction covered one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. Brand was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The case included testimony that Brand’s criminal trial had a devastating impact on his life and family. Brand told the court, “My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations.”
Brand’s lawyers argued that the alleged victims were undermined by the fact that they went to police years after the alleged assaults, and in connection with the broadcast of a 2023 documentary that contained anonymous allegations about him.
Brand testified that friends and colleagues abandoned him. His wife, Laura, attended court and testified as a character witness in his defence, though Brand said that no one with relevant evidence was willing to give evidence on his behalf.
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