Russell Brand has been convicted in the U.K. of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault. Brand, 51, has been taken into custody and is expected to be sentenced Monday.
The charges involved six women and alleged incidents between 1999 and 2009. Brand had faced three rape charges, three sexual assault charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
At trial, Brand acknowledged being “reckless” and using his fame to pursue sexual relationships, but said the encounters were consensual. He told jurors that consent was “fundamental, essential and necessary” and denied forcing anyone to take part in sexual activity against their will.
His wife, Laura Brand, testified for the defense last week, a day after her husband took the stand. She described how they first began dating in 2006, when she was 19 and he was 31. They separated the following year, in part because, she said, he struggled with monogamy and she was inexperienced.
Laura told the court that she knew Brand was seeing other women and did not want a relationship under those circumstances. The couple got back together in 2015, married in 2017 and have three children.
In her testimony, Laura described her husband as caring and kind, a wonderful father and an attentive partner. She said their marriage was built on honesty and added that she loved him very much.
Prosecutors alleged that the offenses took place over a decade. The women described encounters at a hotel, a bar, a radio station, a workplace and Brand’s home.
Police began investigating after allegations were made public by U.K. media outlets in September 2023. Brand has said the sexual encounters happened during what he called a “time of promiscuity,” but maintained that they were consensual.
In a video posted to X last year, Brand thanked supporters and spoke about the case. He said he had been a drug addict and a sex addict, but denied ever raping anyone or engaging in nonconsensual activity. He also said he was grateful for the chance to defend himself in court.
