A London jury on Thursday found Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women, London's Metropolitan Police said after the verdict. The jury at Southwark Crown Court reached its verdicts unanimously after a four-week trial.
Brand, 51, the comedian and actor known to American audiences from films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, returns to Southwark Crown Court for sentencing on Monday, Nov. 9.
What the police say happened
The offenses took place between 2004 and 2009, at locations that included a radio station, a DVD shoot and Brand's home, according to the police. Under U.K. law, the women have lifelong anonymity.
The verdicts cover fewer counts than prosecutors brought. The Crown Prosecution Service charged Brand in April 2025 with two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and two of sexual assault, involving four women, then added a rape count and a sexual assault count in December 2025 involving two more women. The Met's release lists convictions on four counts and does not say how the jury decided the others.
The Met opened its investigation in September 2023, after British news reports set out allegations against Brand. Several women who did not know one another then came forward. Detectives say they spoke to more than 100 witnesses and took more than 400 statements. No CCTV footage or forensic evidence existed for events that old. To build timelines and test what the women described against Brand's own explanations, officers reviewed over 1,400 documents and hundreds of hours of his recorded performances and interviews, and read all of his books.
According to the police, Brand was given detailed accounts of the allegations in four interviews and repeatedly said he did not recognize the women. His account changed as the case neared trial, which the prosecution called "selective memory."
What happens next
Sentencing is set for Monday. The police release does not include a statement from Brand or his lawyers. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Met said he hoped the conviction sends "a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be."
The Met is asking anyone else who believes they were a victim to contact detectives at [email protected], or by calling 101 in the U.K. and quoting reference 2321/04NOV26.
