Russell Brand could face fresh rape charges after being convicted of using his fame to sexually assault women. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers are considering a police file of evidence containing claims that Brand, 51, attacked at least two more women.
Detectives said the guilty verdicts could be a "watershed moment" and send a clear message that "no one is above the law." Brand was found guilty of one rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Further Allegations and Legal Proceedings
Detectives suspect Brand could have many more victims after at least five other women previously claimed he had raped or abused them. The former comic is also being sued in the US, where he has been publicly accused of raping one woman at his home in Los Angeles in July 2012, as well as sexually assaulting another woman in the Californian city. A third complainant, known only as Jane Doe, has launched a civil claim alleging Brand sexually assaulted her on the set of romantic comedy Arthur in 2011.
Det Supt Andy Furphy paid tribute to the six women who gave evidence against Brand at his trial. He said: "Today's verdict is first and foremost 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 prey on and exploit women. 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."
Investigation and Appeal to Victims
Mr Furphy added: "In this case it might be likely that other women come forward. And what I would say is if you've been the victim of a sexual assault or a rape by Russell Brand and you haven't spoken to the police yet then please come forward. We have specially trained officers uniquely experienced to listen to you and support you."
He noted: "There is an ongoing investigation, our work isn't done but you'll appreciate, I can't comment any further on that because it's a live investigation."
Trial Details and Background
Brand operated in plain sight, discussing his "birthright to orgasm" in his autobiography, "My Booky Wook", in 2007. He told friends he wanted to bed 5,000 women and told the Wendy Williams chat show in America that he thought "the world was an amusement park made of orgasms."
The comedian faced allegations he attacked six women in a hotel room, at his luxury London home, in their workplaces and in a Soho bar toilet. In one incident a woman in her 20s said Brand violently groped and kissed her as his entourage looked on laughing. He viewed his accusers as "disposable commodities" and "a means to an end", Southwark Crown Court heard.
Brand, who told his trial he achieved "staggering fame" when he married American popstar Katy Perry in 2010, had denied forcing himself on anyone and said: "Consent is fundamental, necessary, essential, and indeed in many ways more important than the sex itself." He pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault against six women from 1999 to 2009.
Mr Furphy said of Brand's conviction: "I think this may well be a watershed moment. Looking back at the books and the DVDs of the stand-ups that Russell Brand released you look back at that period of time and he was celebrated for that. He became more emboldened the more famous he got and his position of power, this power imbalance, played a feature in his crimes so it may well be looking back at that lad culture from that period of time, it may well be a bit of a watershed moment."
Detectives began investigating the allegations in September 2023 after a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Four women alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 but their claims were not part of the prosecution case. A fifth woman has launched a civil action against Brand in New York, claiming he sexually assaulted her.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "The Met's investigation into allegations of rape made by two women remains ongoing. The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations. Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants. Detectives remain in close contact with prosecutors as enquiries continue and further investigative work is carried out."
During the years covered by these allegations, Brand had worked at BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4, and as an actor in Hollywood films. Other claims made as part of the media investigation relate to his controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.
One woman alleged that Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home and she was treated at a crisis centre on the same day. A second woman said that he assaulted her when he was in his early 30s and she was 16 and still at school. She told journalists that he referred to her as "the child" during an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship. A third woman claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles. The fourth woman said she was sexually assaulted by Brand and accused him of being physically and emotionally abusive.
The documentary opens with footage of the 2006 Time Out comedian using explicit language on stage to describe women performing a sex act "where their mascara runs." The first woman interviewed on the programme described how "untouchable" Brand forced himself on her. She said: "I was crying and he said: 'I only wanted to see your mascara run anyway.'" Mr Justice Bennathan had ruled that jurors should not be shown the "very one-sided" programme as that would be unfair to Brand.
Riel Karmy-Jones, KC, prosecuting, said the six other women who gave evidence at the trial did not know each other and came forward independently. She said: "Their paths all crossed the defendant's either through their employment, social events through work or through attending gigs where he was performing." Opening the case, Ms Karmy-Jones said: "He could be nice when he wanted to be, funny – undoubtedly - charming, likeable even - when he wanted something in return – but then demanding, entitled, a flirt with a huge sexual appetite, - child like in his expectation that his every desire should be met. He was ruthless, calculated and manipulative, and the prosecution say - a sexual predator."
Brand's friend and former flatmate Mark Pinheiro told jurors he was "rampant in his desire to score sex" during the Labour Party Conference in September 1999 in Bournemouth when the first alleged rape occurred. "He said he wanted to bed 5,000 women in his lifetime, and that he had some rules that would allow him to achieve this – one of those rules was that 'all you have to do is tell them what they need to hear'," Ms Karmy-Jones said. "This is a clear example of how manipulative and calculated the defendant could be."
US Claims and Compensation
The entertainer has been publicly accused of raping one woman at his home in Los Angeles in July 2012, as well as sexually assaulting another woman in the Californian city after moving there to launch his movie career. The disgraced star is also facing a civil claim in New York, where a woman, known only as Jane Doe, has alleged he sexually assaulted her on the set of romantic comedy Arthur in 2011.
None of the allegations were heard during Brand's trial at Southwark Crown Court, as wrongdoing in the States is outside the jurisdiction of UK police. But US attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represents several victims of Jeffrey Epstein, told the Mirror: "Obviously the authorities in the United States would be interested in any conviction in the UK. Each case will have to be taken on its individual merit and merely because somebody may have done something wrong to a woman in the UK does not necessarily mean he's done the same in the US, so they would need to investigate that claim independently to make that adjudication. But as far as the civil case is concerned obviously that would be very convincing evidence in the civil matter here in the States and very different than the criminal case because in civil you're given much more leeway to utilise evidence in other proceedings. So [a conviction] would be incredibly helpful here in the States as to the civil matter."
Solicitor Alan Collins, a Partner in the Abuse Claims Team at Bolt Burdon Kemp in the UK, says Brand's UK-based victims are also entitled to compensation. He said: "Victims can sue their abusers in the High Court for compensation for the physical and psychiatric harm suffered. The damage can be immense and lifelong and compensation can never put right the crimes suffered but can help with rehabilitation, medical costs, and loss of earnings." Mr Collins said compensation typically ranges between £35,000 up to six figure sums.
Brand is already being sued by at least one woman in the US. He is accused of sexually assaulting a female extra in New York City during the filming of romantic comedy Arthur. The lawsuit, filed in the New York Supreme Court in 2023, claims that Brand "appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set" before the alleged assault. Court documents further allege that Brand exposed his penis to the woman "in full view of the cast and crew." Arthur was filmed in New York City in spring and summer 2010 with some scenes reshot a year later.
A Met spokesperson said: "Anyone who wishes to speak to detectives or make a report can contact the investigation team by email at CSOU@met.police.uk. Reports can also be made by calling 101 from within the UK and quoting reference 2321/04NOV26."
