Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape and Sexual Assault at London Trial; Taken Into Custody

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Russell Brand, the former actor and comedian, was convicted Thursday on three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape in his London criminal trial. He was found not guilty of two other rape charges and a count of attempted indecent assault.

The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, informed Brand that “obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result” and said it was unlikely he would extend the former comedian’s bail any further.

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“You’ve been convicted of a number of offenses, including one of rape,” he said. “My current view is that I therefore have to remand you in custody not least because the temptation to avoid coming back to court to receive that sentence will be overwhelming.”

He allowed both Brand’s legal team and the Crown Prosecution Service a break of 20 minutes before returning to make submissions as to whether bail should be extended. Ultimately, however, the judge denied the application to extend bail and remanded him into custody until Monday, when he will return to receive his sentence.

In the U.K., a rape conviction can result in up to 19 years in prison and potentially even a life sentence, depending on the seriousness of the offense. The maximum sentence for sexual assault is 10 years.

Sky News reported that the Met Police are now investigating further allegations of rape made by two women.

Brand did not visibly react when the verdicts were read out. His wife, Laura Gallacher, rushed out of the courtroom when Brand was taken to the cells to wait before his bail application.

Brand was accused of raping three women at various locations between 1999 and 2009. One of the alleged victims also accused him of sexual assault in addition to oral rape. He was also accused of one count of attempted indecent assault at MTV’s U.K. offices in 2001 and one count of sexual assault in 2009.

The jury was on its third day of deliberations when it reached the verdict, following a three-week trial.

Brand got his start as a comedian on MTV in the U.K. before rising through the ranks of British media to host shows such as “Big Brother” spin-off ” Big Brother’s Big Mouth” on Channel 4 network E4 and his own radio show, “The Russell Brand Show” on BBC Radio 6.

He then broke through in Hollywood after appearing in the 2007 comedy “St Trinian’s” starring Talulah Riley, Juno Temple and Colin Firth, set in a girls’ boarding school. Roles in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Get Him to the Greek” and “Rock of Ages.” He also voiced a recurring character in the “Despicable Me” franchise, Dr Nefario.

He eventually launched his own podcast and moved into influencing and politics via his YouTube channel.

However his media empire came crashing down in 2023 when The Sunday Times of London and Channel 4 documentary series “Dispatches” published/broadcast a joint investigation into Brand’s allegedly predatory behaviour, in which five women accused Brand of sexual assault and misconduct.