Comedian Russell Brand convicted of rape and three sexual assaults in London
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The gist
British comedian Russell Brand, 51, was convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults at Southwark Crown Court.
The verdicts cover attacks on women between 1999 and 2009, ending a four-week trial.
Background
Russell Brand is a British comedian, actor, broadcaster and YouTuber, 51, who rose to fame as a stand-up and TV and radio presenter before a Hollywood career including "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Get Him to the Greek". He faced seven charges relating to allegations by six women, spanning 1999 to 2009, a period when he became a star in Britain. The trial followed earlier hearings at which he pleaded not guilty, and a 2023 Channel 4 documentary carrying allegations about him that both sides discussed in closing arguments.
How it unfolded
- May 30, 2025Brand, then 49, pleaded not guilty to one allegation of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral rape and two further counts of sexual assault, alleged to have taken place in central London and Bournemouth between 1999 and 2005 and relating to four women.
- Oct 6, 2026Brand arrived at a London court with his wife Laura Brand for a pre-trial hearing; the trial proper was expected to start the following Monday and last around 10 to 12 weeks.
- Oct 12, 2026The trial began at Southwark Crown Court before judge Joel Bennathan; Brand, 51, faced seven charges involving six women, with events alleged from 1999 to 2009.
- Oct 27, 2026Midway through the trial, Mr Justice Bennathan dismissed an indecent assault charge over an alleged 2001 incident involving a female MTV employee, citing "insufficient evidence", and replaced it with a count of attempted indecent assault; a juror delivered a formal not-guilty verdict on the original charge.
- Nov 3, 2026After more than three weeks of evidence, the jury began deliberations on seven charges: three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
- Nov 5, 2026The jury of eight men and four women returned verdicts after just under two days of deliberations: not guilty on one rape count, not guilty on attempted indecent assault, and guilty on one rape count and three sexual assault counts.
Key terms
- Southwark Crown Court
- The criminal court of first instance in England and Wales hearing indictable offences and appeals from magistrates' courts.
- deliberations
- A process of thoughtfully exchanging and weighing options, often before voting or reaching a decision.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Mr Justice Bennathan told jurors they must reach unanimous verdicts on each charge, that the burden of proof is on the prosecution, and that Brand is entitled to the benefit of the doubt.
- Official
- The judge directed the jury to disregard the 2023 Channel 4 documentary, saying anonymous complaints in a TV show add no support to the prosecution and were never tested in any court.
- Defendant
- Brand pleaded not guilty to all charges and said in a video last year that he had "never engaged in non-consensual activity"; he told reporters he was "blessed" as he walked into court.
Still unverified
The 2023 Channel 4 documentary's allegations were never tested in any court, per the judge's direction to the jury.