British comedian and actor, Russell Brand, has been found guilty of rape and sexual assaults, and told he faces a lengthy jail sentence.
On Thursday, the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court found the comedian guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, according to the BBC. He was acquitted on two other counts of rape and one of attempted indecent assault.
“You’ve been convicted of a number of offenses including rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term,” the judge, Mr. Justice Bennathan, told Brand, per the BBC. “My current view is that I therefore have to remand you into custody.”
Brand, at one time an in-demand Hollywood actor, was accused of assault by six women between 1999 to 2009. He had pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault.
Over the course of the three-week trial, each of the women took the stand to detail her interaction with Brand as he watched inside the courtroom. The women’s identities remained confidential in accordance with U.K. law, which bars any victim of sexual misconduct from being publicly identified.
British prosecutors had painted Brand as a “sexual predator” who was “ruthless” in his pursuit of women. They said he had an “indiscriminate and voracious” desire for sex and that women, to him, “were simply a means to an end.” One of the prosecutors, Riel Karmy-Jones, said in her closing statement that the women had nothing to gain and had not sought out any form of publicity.
“There is no benefit to them, apart from perhaps some closure by coming before you and telling you their accounts of what happened to them so long ago,” Karmy-Jones said.
Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, argued that although Brand may have treated the women poorly, his behavior did not amount to any crime.
“It is not criminal to treat women unkindly before, during or after sex,” he said. “It is not, I am afraid, criminal to be disrespectful or rude or to act like a crazy idiot.”
The actor and comedian, who has been open about his addiction to illicit substances, pivoted in recent years to become an online influencer who has promoted Christianity, dubious wellness trends and conspiracy theories.
In 2023, a joint investigation by the Times of London, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 revealed allegations of sexual assault and abuse from four women against him. One of the women was 16 at the time she said the alleged incident took place.
Brand initially denied the allegations. But in an interview in April this year, he admitted to having sex with a 16-year-old when he was, in his words, “an immature 30-year-old.”
Brand will be sentenced on Monday, November 9.