Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault in London

Russell Brand was convicted on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, according to the BBC and Global News. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and one allegation of attempted indecent assault. The 51-year-old will be sentenced on Monday. The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, told him to expect "a significant custodial term" after the verdicts were delivered, the BBC reported.

The verdict and trial

Brand, 51, denied the charges and pleaded not guilty to the allegations dating back 20 years, Global News reported. He testified that as a young man he had an insatiable sexual appetite and led a promiscuous life but had never forced anyone to engage with him sexually against their will. The jury deliberations lasted more than eight hours over the course of two days.

Reaction

Comedian Katherine Ryan said she feels "grief and relief" after the conviction. Speaking on her podcast Telling Everybody Everything, Ryan 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."

She added: "I will never be someone who like, dances on graves. There has been some justice done today. There's a level of relief, but there's grief alongside relief."

Bear Grylls said on X that it is right that justice has now been served. "Judgement is for the courts and God… I wouldn't want to ever discourage someone's coming to faith," he said.

Further investigations

Brand is now also being investigated over further rape allegations made by two women, police have said. The Metropolitan police said he had previously been interviewed under caution in relation to them. Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said he would not be surprised if "many more" alleged victims emerged.

Rowley told Times Radio on Friday: "There's two more rape allegations that we're looking at. We're encouraging anybody else to come forward if there's any other allegations."

Why it matters

The conviction follows a 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary and reports in the Times and Sunday Times that aired allegations against Brand. None of the women who featured in the media investigation were the complainants from Brand's criminal trial. The head of the Metropolitan Police said some of what he heard reported from the trial came very close to "victim blaming".

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Sources

• bbc.com: Katherine Ryan says she feels 'grief and relief' after Russell Brand conviction
• globalnews.ca: Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault - National | Globalnews.ca
• theguardian.com: Met police chief urges potential victims of Russell Brand to come forward | UK news | The Guardian

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