Judge sends Russell Brand to jail after rape and assault convictions

British actor-comedian Russell Brand was taken into custody Thursday after a jury convicted him of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Judge Joel Bennathan told the 51-year-old that he faces a substantial prison term when he is sentenced Monday. Brand had been free on bail during the trial, but the judge rejected a new bail application to allow him to see his children, citing the risk that he might flee.

The convictions stem from allegations spanning more than a decade. Brand was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at a London bar in 2004. He was also convicted of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005. A third count involved the anal rape of a fan at his home in 2009 after they met backstage at a comedy show. The final conviction covered the sexual assault of a woman during an advertisement recording in 2009, where Brand demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin.

The jury acquitted Brand on two rape counts and one attempted indecent assault count. He was cleared of raping a woman in a hotel room during a political conference in Bournemouth in 1999. He was also acquitted of attempting to indecently assault a woman by dragging her into a men's bathroom at an MTV office in London. The eight-man and four-woman jury in Southwark Crown Court deliberated for more than eight hours over two days before returning their verdicts.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones described Brand as a calculating sexual predator during the trial. She told jurors that women were a disposable commodity to him and read an excerpt from his 2007 memoir, My Booky Wook, to illustrate his mindset. In the passage, Brand wrote that he would remove anything in his way until he possessed the object of his desire. Former personal assistant Helen Berger testified that Brand had an insane sexual appetite and treated women poorly, a behavior her colleagues normalized.

Brand denied the charges, testifying that he had been obsessed with sex as a young man but had never forced anyone against their will. He acknowledged using his fame to gain sexual access, which he said was wrong, but rejected testimony from a former roommate who claimed Brand wanted to sleep with 5,000 women. His wife, Laura, testified as a character witness, but Brand stated that no one with relevant evidence was willing to take the stand on his behalf. He told the court that the case had consumed his life and devastated his family.

Brand showed little emotion as the guilty verdict on the rape count was read. He closed his eyes but otherwise remained still. When the judge denied bail, Brand gestured to his lawyers and repeatedly said, I am good, I am good, I am good, before being led away. Judge Bennathan acknowledged the hardship the custody would cause his children, noting that the difficulty resulted from the father's serious criminal offending.

Police confirmed they have provided prosecutors with their investigation into two additional rape allegations against Brand. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London’s Metropolitan Police said the conviction demonstrated the courage of the women who reported the assaults. He stated that Brand used his influence and status to exploit women, and that his sense of entitlement grew as his profile increased. Brand’s legal team argued that the delays in reporting the incidents weakened the cases, but the jury ultimately found him guilty on the core charges.

Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s through stand-up comedy and television hosting roles. He appeared in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry. In recent years, he relocated to Florida and built a large online following through videos discussing wellness and religious devotion. The current legal case follows a 2023 investigation by The Times and Channel 4 that aired accusations from several women against the comedian.