LONDON — Russell Brand was convicted on Thursday of rape and sexual assault, the end of a case that began with a television and newspaper investigation three years ago and finished with the comedian being led from a London courtroom to a prison cell.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court found Brand, 51, guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The attacks were on four women between 2004 and 2009, when he was at the height of his fame. The jurors — eight men and four women — reached their verdicts after about eight and a half hours of discussion, and every verdict was unanimous.
The same jury cleared Brand of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. He had denied all seven charges. His lawyers argued that every encounter was agreed to, and that bad or selfish behaviour is not a crime when there is consent. Brand himself told the court that consent was, in his words, fundamental and more important than sex itself.
The judge, Mr. Justice Bennathan, told him: “You’ve been convicted of a number of offences including rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term.” He refused to let Brand stay free on bail and sent him to prison to wait for sentencing on Monday, November 9. Rape carries a maximum sentence of life in prison in England and Wales. The judge gave no indication of the term he has in mind.
The rape conviction rests on an attack on a 21-year-old fan. She met Brand after his stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London in 2009, and he raped her at his home days later. The sexual assaults were on an MTV worker groped at a party in a Soho bar in 2004, a worker at a central London radio station assaulted in a corridor at her workplace in the mid-2000s, and a Channel 4 worker forced to give him a massage while working on a project in 2009. None of the women can be named — people who report sexual offences in Britain receive lifelong anonymity.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police said the verdict was “first and foremost a testament to the extraordinary courage” of the women who came forward. “Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women,” he said. “I hope this conviction sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be.”
Brand, a British comedian and presenter, became known in the United States for the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek and Arthur, and as the former husband of singer Katy Perry. In recent years he built a large online following as a political commentator.
The case started in September 2023, when The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme published accounts from women accusing Brand of rape, sexual assault and abusive behaviour. Police opened an investigation, traced more than 100 witnesses and took more than 400 statements. Prosecutors first charged Brand in April 2025 and added further charges that December, bringing the case to seven charges involving six women, with alleged offences from 1999 to 2009. His trial began on October 12.
There was no immediate public comment from Brand or his representatives after the verdicts.
The case may not be over. After Thursday’s verdicts, the Metropolitan Police said its investigation into rape allegations by two more women remains open, that Brand has been questioned in connection with them, and that files have been sent to prosecutors. No charges have been brought on those allegations.
Anyone in Britain who wishes to report a sexual offence to the investigation team can email CSOU@met.police.uk or call 101, quoting reference 2321/04NOV26. Rape Crisis offers a free, confidential support line at 0808 500 2222.
