Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault, to be sentenced Monday

Russell Brand, 51, was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, according to The Standard. The verdict followed a four-week trial. Brand will spend the weekend in custody before returning to the same court on Monday to learn his prison sentence.

Conviction and custody

Brand was found guilty by jurors on Thursday afternoon. He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape, and one count of attempted indecent assault, after the jury deliberated for eight-and-a-half hours, according to the BBC. Mr Justice Joel Bennathan denied Brand’s request to be given bail over the weekend so he could say goodbye to his children, fearing that Brand would abscond instead of returning to court, The Standard reported. His wife Laura Gallacher, 39, who attended much of the trial, was seen to hunch over in the public gallery as Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand that he now faces an inevitable and lengthy jail term.

Emergency response at prison

Emergency crews rushed to HMP Wandsworth this morning, where Brand is being held ahead of his sentencing. A major emergency response, including three ambulances, two ambulance cars and fire crews, were dispatched to the Category B prison at 9.46am today. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “At 0946, Firefighters were called to HMP Wandsworth. The incident was over for crews by 1020.” The exact nature of the incident remains unclear.

Wider context and reactions

The Met Police also confirmed it was investigating two further allegations of rape made against Brand - one of which comes from a woman who was 16-years-old when the alleged rape happened. The Met said its investigation "remains ongoing". Sir Mark Rowley told BBC Breakfast he "wouldn't be surprised if many more came forward".

During the trial, Brand’s defence barrister Ian Winter KC "told jurors none of the complainants had in his words 'resisted, screamed or even tried to leave'". Sir Mark Rowley said: "I think what I've heard reported heads towards, it's getting very close to victim blaming, which is something we've thought very hard about in policing and make sure we don't do."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government needs to make sure that victims in rape cases do not feel like they are on trial. He said he would "look closely" at the police chief's comments and that the government needed to look at how to "make sure they do not leave the woman feeling like she is on trial in court". He added: "[I'm] always prepared to make changes." The BBC reported there are no plans to change the law around rape trials.

Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman said rape trials must be conducted "in a way that challenges myths and misconceptions about sexual violence". In a social media post, Waxman wrote that "victims need confidence that the justice process is fair and based on evidence, not myths and false assumptions about rape and trauma".

Former Conservative MP Anna Soubry, who has now returned to her work as a barrister where she often defends rape and sexual offence cases in the Crown court, told the BBC "people are being misled" by Sir Mark's comments. She said she was " really disappointed" in the police chief and stressed "we've got to trust our juries" who are able to have an understanding of the nature of sexual offences.

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Sources

• standard.co.uk: Ambulances called to HMP Wandsworth where Russell Brand is being held | The Standard
• theguardian.com: Russell Brand has finally faced justice. But other abusers in comedy are still hiding in plain sight | Sarah Solemani | The Guardian
• bbc.com: Victims in rape cases must not feel like they are on trial, Burnham says

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