Katherine Ryan has spoken of feeling both 'guilt and relief' after Russell Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault, years after she hinted at a predator in the entertainment industry.
Brand is now in prison after being found guilty of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women. The verdict was delivered at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (November 5) after the jury deliberated for eight and a half hours. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault. His sentencing hearing is set for Monday (November 9).
Ryan's reaction to the verdict
During the trial, Brand's victims described how he forced them into sexual activity, sometimes within seconds of first meeting, using his fame to pursue a goal of sex with 5,000 women.
Years ago, Ryan claimed in an interview with Louis Theroux that there was a 'predator' in the entertainment industry. Due to the 'litigious minefield' around the claim, she did not name the male comic, whom she called a 'predator' 'to his face'. It was widely speculated she was referring to her time on Comedy Central's Roast Battle in 2018 alongside Brand, though she never confirmed this.
Reflecting on the verdict on her podcast Telling Everybody Everything, Ryan said: "It really made me feel just quite dysregulated again, caught off-guard, emotional, in awe of the survivors who also had nothing to gain."
Mixed emotions and wider impact
She added: "They came forward despite Russell Brand having fame, power, money, and a legion of fans ready to attack them."
Ryan continued: "I will never be someone who like, dances on graves. There has been some justice done today. There's a level of relief, but there's grief alongside relief."
She said the verdict came because women were hurt, and she worried about what happens next, noting Brand had spent a long time cultivating the idea that the establishment had invented the claims against him, and had 'martyred himself to a growing audience' who still saw the survivors as the villains.
Barrister's conduct criticised
Ryan also criticised the behaviour of Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, who confronted Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin outside the courtroom. Urwin's investigation led to Brand's victims coming forward. Winter told her: "I hope you are pleased with yourself." Urwin replied: "I'm pleased justice has been done," before Winter said: "Well, it wasn't. You f***** it." He added: "Congratulations."
Ryan called the incident "so unprofessional, so inappropriate, so aggressive. Really sickening."
