Russell Brand has been remanded in custody after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault. The disgraced comedian is expected to be jailed for a significant amount of time at his sentencing on Monday.
After a four-week trial, Brand, 51, was found guilty of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women during his career as an actor, comedian and entertainer. A jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, while he was cleared of two further charges of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
No emotion in the dock
Brand displayed no emotion as he was found guilty, other than closing his eyes when the guilty verdict on the rape charge was announced. And as the judge remanded him into custody, Brand signalled to his defence team that he was okay.
He made okay gestures and repeatedly said the words “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good”, before being taken out of the dock.
Bail plea refused
Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, made a plea for Brand to be given bail over the weekend as an “act of humanity” so that he could say goodbye to his children, but the judge refused over fears that he would flee instead of returning to court.
During his rape trial the court heard that Brand preyed on women he encountered while becoming one of Britain’s best-known stand-up comedians, a lauded TV and radio host, and a Hollywood movie star. His victims came to court to reveal how Brand had forced them into sexual activity, sometimes within seconds of them first meeting, using his immense fame to pursue a goal of sex with 5,000 women.
Verdicts on individual charges
The jury found him guilty of groping another MTV worker during a party at a Soho bar in 2004, but not guilty of going on to rape her in a toilet. Brand was convicted of kissing and groping a Capital Radio worker after encountering her in a corridor in 2005.
He was found guilty of raping a fan after meeting her at a 2009 stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo. Brand was also convicted by the jury of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009 when she had been forced to give him a massage.
Judge's comments and next steps
After the verdict, Judge Justice Bennathan said: “Sit down Mr Brand. Mr Winter (defending), Ms Karmy-Jones (prosecuting), just on what happens next given the verdict on count six at least, obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result.”
Mr Justice Bennathan said the case was “very well prepared”, adding the sentencing hearing would take place on Monday.
The judge said: “You’ve been convicted of a number of offences including rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term. My current view is that I therefore have to remand you into custody.”
Mr Justice Bennathan ruled that Brand must be remanded into custody until sentencing on Monday, when he will receive a lengthy prison sentence. It can now be reported that investigations have been launched into two more allegations of rape.
