Former British comedian and influencer Russell Brand was found guilty Thursday by a London court of having raped one of his fans, then aged 21, and of having sexually assaulted three other women, between 2004 and 2009.
Russell Brand, 51, will be sentenced Monday, but the judge warned he would receive a “significant prison term.” He was placed in pre-trial detention.
Six women accused him of rape and sexual assault between 1999 and 2009, when he was a famous stand-up comedian and television presenter. He was acquitted of two rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Russell Brand showed no emotion when the court delivered its verdict, following a trial that lasted nearly four weeks.
“No one is above the law”
During the trial, it was revealed that Russell Brand was accused of raping two other women, one of whom was 16 at the time of the alleged offences. He could therefore be the subject of new criminal proceedings.
The former star British TV presenter was found guilty on Thursday at Southwark Magistrates’ Court of raping a 21-year-old fan he met at his stand-up show in 2009.
He was also convicted of sexually assaulting an MTV employee at a bar party in 2004, forcibly kissing and inappropriately touching a woman in 2009 and of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 television employee in 2009.
“Brand used his influence, status and celebrity to exploit women and commit sexual offenses against them,” said London police official Andy Furphy.
“I hope that this conviction will send a clear message: no one is above the law, regardless of their fame or power,” he added before saluting the “extraordinary courage, resilience and determination” of the women who testified.
Russell Brand denied the accusations against him. He claimed during the trial that he once had a very active sex life with many partners but that all his relationships were consensual.
The ex-comedian, who was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry, has recently reinvented himself as a conservative guru, driven by Christian faith and regularly expressing conspiratorial ideas to his millions of subscribers on social networks.
Russell Brand, who remarried in 2017, is the father of three children. He settled in Florida.
