LONDON, Nov 5 — A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Thursday found British comedian and actor Russell Brand, 51, guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, the Associated Press reported. Brand had faced seven charges involving six women — three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault — and had pleaded not guilty to all of them. The jury cleared him of two rape counts and the attempted indecent assault count.

Source: Associated Press via ABC Audio

The guilty verdicts

The convictions cover incidents between 2004 and 2009 against four women, TYLA and Hello Magazine reported from the verdict list: a sexual assault at a party in a Soho bar in 2004; a sexual assault at the Choice FM studios in London in 2004 or 2005; the rape of a 21-year-old fan whom Brand met after a stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009; and a sexual assault on a woman working on a Channel 4 project in 2009. All six women in the case are entitled to lifelong anonymity and have not been named.

Source: TYLA

The jury of four women and eight men deliberated for more than eight hours before delivering the verdicts, according to the Associated Press. The trial began in mid-October and ran for about three weeks.

Source: Associated Press via ABC Audio

Remanded in custody; judge warns of prison sentence

Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand that, given the rape conviction, a custodial sentence of some length would follow, and Brand was remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on Monday, November 9, Hello Magazine and the Christian Post reported.

Source: Hello Magazine

Following the verdict, David Roberts, senior Crown Prosecutor in the London Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Unit, said in a statement that Brand "was predatory and used his celebrity status to commit sexual crimes" and that at the centre of every assault was "an abuse of power and sexual greed, with a complete disregard for the impact of his actions." He thanked the women in the case for their courage in coming forward. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police paid tribute to the detectives and specialist staff on the investigation and urged anyone who may have been a victim of rape or serious sexual assault to speak to police.

Source: Associated Press via ABC Audio

Investigation, charges — and Brand's denial

Metropolitan Police detectives began investigating Brand in 2023 after allegations against him were reported by multiple UK news outlets, the police said. He was first charged in April 2025, and in December 2025 the Crown Prosecution Service authorised further charges concerning two additional women, bringing the total to seven charges. Brand responded to the initial charges on social media in April 2025, saying: "What I never was, was a rapist. I've never engaged in nonconsensual activity." He maintained that position through the trial. ABC News said it had reached out to Brand's attorney for comment after the verdict.

Source: Associated Press via ABC Audio