Russell Brand Convicted of Rape and Sexual Assault in London

Russell Brand was found guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court, according to Deadline. He was found not guilty on two other counts of rape and one of attempted indecent assault, which was reduced from indecent assault during the trial. Brand, 51, denied all the charges, based on allegations made by six women, Variety reported.

Reaction Outside Court

After the verdict, Brand’s lawyer Ian Winter KC was reported to have confronted Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin outside the courthouse. Winter was reported to have said to Urwin, “I hope you’re pleased with yourself.” She was heard replying, “I’m pleased justice has been done,” and Winter was then reported to have snapped back, “Well it wasn’t. You f**ked it.”

Winter later said: “Having seen the ways matters have been characterised in today’s press, I consider my professional duty requires me to self-report those allegations to the Bar Standards Board so the matter can be subject to proper scrutiny. I have made such a report.”

Urwin was one of the lead journalists who broke allegations about Brand as part of a Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 joint investigation in 2023.

Reaction From Katherine Ryan

Comedian Katherine Ryan said on her podcast “Telling Everybody Everything” that the verdict brought both relief and grief. She said: “It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain.”

Ryan added: “I will never be someone who like, dances on graves. There has been some justice done today,” she said. “There’s a level of relief, but there’s grief alongside relief.”

She continued: “Everything’s nuanced, and it was proved in court that a terrible thing happened, and that means that a terrible thing happened.”

Ryan previously said in 2022 that she had confronted an unnamed male comedian about alleged predatory behavior, but never publicly confirmed the identity of the comedian.

Why it matters

Brand is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. The conviction follows allegations made by six women and a joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 in 2023.

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Sources

• deadline.com: Russell Brand's Lawyer Rounds On Journalist Ros Urwin Outside Court
• variety.com: Katherine Ryan Reacts to Russell Brand Rape Conviction With 'Relief'

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.