Actor And Comedian Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape And Sexual Assault

British actor, comedian and media personality Russell Brand faces a lengthy prison sentence after he was found guilty in a London court on Thursday of raping a young fan and sexually assaulting three women.

Brand, 51, was convicted of raping the 21-year-old admirer in 2009 after they met at one of his shows in West London. He was also found guilty of groping an MTV worker at a bar in central London in 2004, kissing and groping another woman at her workplace in 2005 and sexually assaulting another woman in 2009 when she was forced to give him a massage.

At Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, a jury of eight men and four women cleared the star of two separate charges of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault, after deliberating for around eight and a half hours.

Speaking after the verdicts were delivered, judge Joel Bennathan said the case was “very well prepared,” according to Britain’s Press Association (PA), adding that sentencing would take place on Monday.

Brand, who stood straight in the dock as the verdicts were revealed and closed his eyes as he heard he was found guilty of rape, has been remanded in custody. “The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term,” Bennathan said.

Brand said “I love you” to his wife Laura Gallacher, an author and illustrator who consistently attended court with her husband, before he entered the dock to hear the verdicts.

Brand, who was previously married to US pop star Katy Perry, “used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women,” London’s Metropolitan Police Service said following the comedian’s conviction.

“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,” Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement.

The Met also confirmed investigations are continuing regarding two other allegations of rape made against Brand, according to PA.

Speaking outside court, David Roberts of the Crown Prosecution Service said the evidence showed Brand “to be a calculated sexual predator, using his growing fame and power to create situations in which he could pursue women sexually regardless of what they wanted.”