LONDON – Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
On Thursday, Nov. 5, a jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court convicted the 51-year-old comedian and actor of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Brand, who had pleaded not guilty to every charge, was remanded in custody. He is due to be sentenced on Monday.
The Verdicts
Brand stood trial on seven charges involving six women, with allegations spanning 1999 to 2009. The judge, Mr. Justice Bennathan, required the jury to reach unanimous verdicts.
The jury found Brand guilty of:
- Raping a woman at his London home in 2009, days after meeting her backstage at one of his stand-up shows. Brand told the court the encounter was consensual.
- Groping an MTV worker at a birthday party at a Soho bar in 2004.
- Kissing and groping a woman who worked at a radio station in the mid-2000s.
- Sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009 after demanding a massage from her.
He was found not guilty of:
- Raping a woman he met on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
- Orally raping the MTV worker in a bar toilet in 2004.
- Attempting to drag a woman into a toilet at a TV station in 2001. That charge was reduced from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault during the trial.
What the Judge Said
After the verdicts, Bennathan told Brand, “You’ve been convicted of a number of offences including rape,” and warned that he faces a significant prison sentence.
Brand’s wife, Laura, was with him at court on Thursday.
Brand’s Defense
Brand denied all of the charges throughout the case. On the stand, he admitted he had been reckless and had used his fame to pursue sexual relationships, but he insisted every encounter was consensual. He told jurors consent was “fundamental, essential and necessary.”
How the Case Began
The Metropolitan Police opened an investigation in September 2023, after a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches aired allegations from several women.
Brand was first charged in April 2025 with five offenses involving four women, and he pleaded not guilty that May. In December 2025, prosecutors authorized two more charges, one of rape and one of sexual assault, involving two more women. He pleaded not guilty to those in February.
While awaiting trial, Brand drew backlash in April when he admitted on The Megyn Kelly Show that he slept with a 16-year-old when he was 30, pointing out that the age of consent in the U.K. is 16.
More Allegations
The case may not be over. The Metropolitan Police says its investigation into rape allegations from two more women is still ongoing, and Brand could face further charges.
Brand remains in custody and is set to be sentenced on Monday, Nov. 9.
