- Published
Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault, and is now expected to face a substantial prison sentence.
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Brand → publish → sentence
A jury found the entertainer guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
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entertainer → find → London
He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape, and one count of attempted indecent assault.
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He → find → assault
The jury deliberated for eight-and-a-half hours.
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jury → deliberate → hours
Brand was taken into custody after the verdicts were delivered, and was refused bail.
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verdicts → take → bail
He is due to be sentenced on Monday.
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He → sentence → Monday
It can now be reported that Brand is also facing further rape allegations made by two women and the 51-year-old has already been questioned by officers in relation to the complaints.
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old → report → complaints
The Metropolitan Police said its investigation "remains ongoing".
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investigation → say → ?
During the trial, Brand faced allegations from six women spanning the decade between 1999 and 2009, when he rose to fame as one of Britain's most high-profile entertainers.
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he → face → entertainers
The women came to court to reveal how Brand used his immense fame to force them into sexual activity.
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Brand → come → activity
Brand, who told his wife Laura Gallacher "I love you" after entering the dock, displayed no emotion as the jury delivered its verdicts.
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jury → tell → verdicts
Afterwards he mouthed "I'm good, I'm good" to his defence counsel as he left the dock.
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he → mouth → dock
His walk was steadily paced, and he continued to show little emotion.
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he → pace → emotion
The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, told Brand to expect "a significant custodial term" after the verdicts were delivered.
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verdicts → tell → term
The jury found Brand guilty of raping a fan after meeting her at a 2009 stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo.
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Brand → find → Apollo
Brand was found guilty of groping an MTV worker during a party at a Soho bar in 2004, but not guilty of going on to rape her in a toilet.
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Brand → find → toilet
He was convicted of kissing and groping a Choice FM worker after encountering her in a corridor at the Capital Radio building in 2004 or 2005.
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He → convict → 2004
Brand was also convicted by the jury of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009 when she had been forced to give him a massage.
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she → convict → massage
Brand was found not guilty by the jury of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
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he → find → Bournemouth
He was also cleared of trying to drag an MTV worker in to a toilet to indecently assault her in 2001.
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He → clear → 2001
Brand had claimed to be the victim of a media conspiracy to paint him as a sexual predator and insisted in court that consent was "more important than sex itself".
But he faced the compelling evidence of six women who accused him of crimes over the course of a decade.
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who → claim → decade
Brand was also confronted with his own words from his 2007 book in which he claimed sex was a "birthright" and friends who revealed his relentless pursuit of sleeping with 5,000 women.
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who → confront → women
Mr Justice Bennathan ruled that Brand must be remanded into custody until sentencing on Monday, when he is expected to receive a lengthy prison sentence.
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he → rule → sentence
The judge said "I regret the hardship caused to the children, of course" after being told that Brand would like bail over the weekend to explain the convictions to his children.
But he said Brand "has considerable resources", adding: "Whatever the good intentions of the family and the defendant today, I think there are substantial grounds to fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence.
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he → say → sentence
After the verdict, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy paid tribute to the "extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them".
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what → pay → them
"Despite intense media and public scrutiny, they relived deeply personal and traumatic experiences and placed their trust in us.
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they → relive → us
Without their bravery, this outcome would not have been possible," he said.
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he → say → bravery
"Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women.
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Brand → use → women
As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement."
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sense → grow → entitlement
He added: "I hope this conviction sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be."
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they → add → law
David Roberts, senior crown prosecutor in the London rape and serious sexual assault unit, described Brand as "predatory".
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Roberts → describe → Brand
"He was a manipulator with an insatiable desire to get what he wanted regardless of whether consent was given or not," he said.
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he → get → what
"As his career took off, he seized opportunities to assault the women around him.
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he → take → him
Although his tactics varied, at the centre of every assault was an abuse of power and sexual greed, with a complete disregard for the impact of his actions.
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abuse → vary → actions
Ron Brand, Russell's father told the BBC he was "bemused and shocked" by the verdicts, adding: "I just didn't expect this - it's wrong... it's devastating."
In his evidence, Brand admitted using his fame to "facilitate sexual access" and being "obsessed" with sex and "extremely promiscuous" in the past.
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Brand → tell → past
He said he had "dedicated a lot of my life to what seems now beyond reckless, philandering, and idiocy".
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what → say → reckless
But he insisted the sex was always consensual, and he denied all the charges.
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he → insist → charges
His barrister told jurors that Brand "had an immense amount of sex", but that "none of it was unlawful".
Allegations about Brand's behaviour first emerged in the media in September 2023.
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Allegations → tell → September
The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme jointly reported that four women had accused him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse - claims he strongly denied.
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he → report → rape
The investigation into other reports against Brand began soon after the story broke.
Brand first rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother's Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations including BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.
He went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To The Greek.
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He → begin → Greek
…and 5 more, not listed.
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