Actor and comedian Russell Brand was convicted Thursday by a London jury of rape and sexual assault involving multiple women.

Brand, 51, was taken into custody and faces up to life in prison at sentencing.

The 12-person jury found him guilty on three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of attempted indecent assault.

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During the three-week trial, the panel heard evidence that Brand assaulted six women in a hotel room, MTV’s London office, the bathroom of a London bar, a radio station, a recording studio and at his own home in unrelated incidents spanning from 1999 to 2009.

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Prosecutors said Brand was a “sexual predator.”

But the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” actor maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual — while acknowledging he was sex-obsessed when he was younger during his testimony. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, claimed the “well of justice had been corrupted and contaminated” by a 2023 documentary about the actor featuring anonymous accusers.

Winter asked jurors to separate how Brand treated women from the criminal acts he was accused of, making a distinction between being a jerk and being a rapist.

“It is not criminal to treat women unkindly before, during or after sex,” Winter said. “It is not, I am afraid, criminal to be disrespectful or rude or to act like a crazy idiot.”

Brand “had an immense amount of sex and none of it was unlawful,” the defense attorney said.

“You’ve been convicted of a number of offences including rape,” Judge Joel Bennathan told Brand, according to CBS News.

“The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term. My current view is that I therefore have to remand you into custody,” Bennathan added.

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He said the criminal case had a devastating impact on his life and family.

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“My entire life has been consumed by these events, these allegations, these accusations,” he said.

Brand’s lawyers argued that the alleged victims were undermined by the fact that they only went to police years after the alleged assaults, and following the broadcast of a 2023 documentary that contained anonymous allegations against Brand.

During the trial, Brand suggested the reports were part of a coordinated attack because of his newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer and political commentator.

The women featured in the documentary said they only felt ready to share their stories after being approached by reporters, with some mentioning Brand’s online fame as a factor in their decision to speak.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London’s Metropolitan Police said the conviction was “a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them.”

“Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women,” he said. “As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement. I hope this conviction sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be.”

Brand’s father, Ron Brand, told the BBC after the verdict and that he was “bemused and shocked.”

“I just didn’t expect this – it’s wrong,” he said. “It’s devastating.”

 

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