On Thursday, a London court found British comedian and actor Russell Brand guilty of rape and sexual assault; he faces a lengthy prison sentence, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Brand—once one of the best-known television presenters in the United Kingdom and the former husband of American singer Katy Perry—denied the allegations, claiming that the events described either took place with mutual consent or were fabricated or reinterpreted.
Prosecutors described the 51-year-old performer, known for his roles in the films "Get Him to the Greek" and "Arthur," as a ruthless sexual predator.
London's Southwark Crown Court found him guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. At the same time, he was acquitted of two other charges of rape and attempted sexual activity.
Judge Joel Bennathan said the sentence would be announced on Monday and that the defendant faced a lengthy prison term. Brand was taken to a remand cell pending consideration of his bail application.
According to prosecutors, the alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2009—a period during which Brand progressed from performing stand-up comedy at small venues to a career as a television presenter and Hollywood film star.
Emotional testimony was heard in court from six complainants, all of whom have the right to lifelong anonymity. The women did not know one another, but contacted the police after a television documentary aired in 2023 and press reports were published in which other women made anonymous allegations against Brand.
The most detailed testimony concerned a rape committed in 2009. The complainant met Brand after one of his performances, after which they had sexual intercourse in his dressing room.
The woman said that several days later she went to his home, where, during consensual sex, he anally raped her. According to her, afterward he ordered her to clean up the blood and the mess.
He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at a London bar in 2004: according to the complainant, during a party he approached her and grabbed her breasts. He was also found guilty in an incident in 2004 or 2005: a woman who worked at a radio station said that he attacked her—acting wildly and aggressively—in the presence of his entourage.
In addition, he was found guilty in an incident in 2009 in which, while working on the promotion of a project, he demanded that a woman give him a massage and then, in front of two of his colleagues, pushed his head between her legs.