Russell Brand could face further rape charges within weeks after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others at Southwark Crown Court.
The Crown Prosecution Service is considering charges relating to two further allegations, including the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl. Detectives have submitted evidence files and appealed for more women to come forward.
Brand, 51, was remanded in custody after Mr Justice Bennathan warned that he faced a “lengthy custodial sentence”. He will be sentenced on Monday.
The actor and comedian was acquitted of two rapes and one attempted indecent assault. The jury reached its verdicts after deliberating for just over eight hours following a trial lasting almost four weeks.
As the convictions were read out, Brand closed his eyes in the dock. His wife, Laura, was seen crying in the public gallery, while Brand mouthed to her: “I love you.”
His barrister, Ian Winter KC, asked the judge to allow Brand time over the weekend to explain the conviction to his three children. The request was refused and Brand was taken to the cells, where he gestured to his legal team: “I’m OK. I’m good.”
Further allegations being considered by the CPS
One of the potential cases concerns a woman known by the pseudonym Alice, who previously spoke about her allegations in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme in 2023.
She alleged that a BBC car took her from school to Brand’s home, where she was abused. She said the pair had a three-month relationship when Brand was 30, and alleged that she had to punch him to stop one attack.
The allegations were not part of the evidence heard by the jury in the trial. At least two other women also came forward with accusations of sexual abuse before the case, but the CPS decided not to proceed with their claims.
Detectives had considered whether other people in the entertainment industry, including Brand’s aides, should face charges for allegedly enabling or assisting his crimes. They concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute them.
The convictions followed allegations that Brand raped a 21-year-old fan at his £2.3 million home in Hampstead in 2009. The woman said he pushed her face-down on a bed, leaving her bleeding and struggling to breathe.
Three other women alleged that Brand attacked them between 2004 and 2009. The allegations included groping one woman at a radio station, assaulting another in a Soho bar and placing his head in the lap of a television worker during a Channel 4 project.
Civil claims in Britain and the US
Brand is also facing civil claims on both sides of the Atlantic, which could threaten his reported £16 million fortune.
A woman has lodged a High Court claim seeking £100,000 in damages. She alleges that Brand forced himself on her at his Los Angeles home in 2008 and that she fled half-dressed after he pushed her on to his bed and attempted unwanted sexual acts.
In a separate lawsuit in New York, an extra from the 2010 film Arthur has accused Brand of exposing himself to cast members before sexually assaulting her on set.
Brand’s US lawyer, Mark Cuccaro, has said his client has a “reasonable belief criminal prosecution is possible in the US based on allegations tantamount to criminal sexual misconduct”.
The convictions could pave the way for further civil action and leave Brand facing substantial financial claims. He was once one of Britain’s best-known stand-up comedians and broadcasters.
During the trial, Brand gave evidence and accepted that his account had changed. His defence later argued that the complainants had not screamed, fought back or directly accused him of rape — arguments condemned by rape campaigners as relying on harmful myths.
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman said she was seeking changes to ensure juries were warned against “outdated and harmful assumptions” about how victims respond to sexual violence.
Brand’s lawyer confronted a journalist after the convictions were delivered, saying: “I hope you are pleased with yourself.” When the journalist replied that he was pleased justice had been done, Mr Winter responded: “Well, it wasn’t. You f***** it. Congratulations.”
