Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault
newsNov 5, 202619151
Russell Brand was found guilty at Southwark crown court of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three women after a four-week trial; the jury convicted him of four offences against four women and cleared him of two rape counts and one attempted indecent assault. Judge Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand he faces a "significant custodial term" and remanded him in custody, rejecting a weekend bail plea from Brand’s barrister Ian Winter KC so Brand could say goodbye to his children. The court heard allegations spanning about a decade from 1999, including that Brand anally raped a young fan at his London townhouse after picking her from a crowd following a Hammersmith Apollo gig in early 2009, and that he assaulted women in a bar toilet, a radio station, a TV studio and in front of his entourage. Prosecutors described Brand, 51, as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator who gaslit victims and treated women as a "disposable commodity" to satisfy a voracious sexual appetite. As the judge remanded him, Brand looked at his wife and said "Laura, I love you" and later made "OK" gestures and said "I'm good, I'm good, I'm good" before being taken to the cells. The Metropolitan police said their investigation is continuing and have submitted files to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to two further rape allegations.
