London, Nov 9, 2026 (AFP) — British comedian and TV star Russell Brand was back in court Monday to find out how long he will spend in jail after being convicted for rape and sexual assaults, with his victims testifying to the trauma they had suffered.
asserted
they → find → trauma
Brand’s conviction last week marked his final fall in a scandal-hit showbiz career that saw him embody the anything-goes culture of 2000s British TV and radio.
asserted
him → mark → TV
In the dock at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Brand, who has reinvented himself as an online Christian guru, held a string of prayer beads and made the sign of the cross before one of his victims personally read out her statement from behind a screen.
asserted
one → reinvent → screen
The woman said she had been left “traumatized” by the assault in a London bar in 2004 and unable to move on because of Brand’s high profile.
“For many years as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke,” she told the court as Brand listened impassively, looking straight ahead.
asserted
Brand → say → court
Brand was unanimously convicted by a jury on Thursday of one rape and three sexual assaults against four women, committed between 2004 and 2009.
asserted
Brand → convict → 2004
Denying him bail after the guilty verdicts, the judge warned Brand, 51, he faced a “significant custodial term”.
asserted
he → deny → term
– ‘Celebrated’ –
A second woman, a 21-year-old fan he raped in 2009 after they met at one of his shows, told the court she had felt she simply would “not be believed” if she reported him.
asserted
she → celebrate → him
“His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless,” she said, adding the consequences of the rape had “affected almost every aspect of my life”.
asserted
consequences → create → life
As he entered the dock, Brand — dressed in a dark suit and white shirt and with his hair in a top knot — looked around briefly.
Spotting his wife Laura Gallacher, with whom he has three children, the pair mouthed words to each other as a member of Brand’s entourage in the public gallery held a Bible with passages highlighted.
asserted
member → enter → passages
The hearing came as Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the victims’ bravery would bring about wider changes to the legal system.
asserted
bravery → come → system
Burnham pledged to be “relentless in making whatever improvements we can” to provide more support for victims, including making sure there were teams in every police force for handling rapes and serious sexual offences.
asserted
we → pledge → rapes
Brand was cleared of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault.
asserted
Brand → clear → assault
But he is facing further investigations after London police said it was probing rape allegations by two more women.
asserted
it → face → women
From Channel 4 to MTV and an eponymous primetime show on BBC Radio 2, the wild-haired comedian worked for major British media houses in the 2000s, where his obsession with sex contributed to his notoriety.
asserted
obsession → work → notoriety
His behaviour featured in the high-profile trial, with Brand admitting he had been “extremely promiscuous” and had used his fame to “facilitate sexual access”, although he denied the charges.
asserted
he → feature → charges
– ‘Wake-up call’ –
Born to working-class parents in Essex, east of London in 1975, Brand dropped out of drama school before joining MTV at the age of 25.
asserted
Brand → wake → 25
He had his own radio show at the BBC, which last week apologized for the “culture and failings” when Brand worked there between 2006 and 2008.
asserted
Brand → have → 2006
Brand left the BBC after sending a well-known actor sexually explicit messages about having slept with his granddaughter.
He made a foray into Hollywood after a brief marriage in 2010 to US pop star Katy Perry, followed by a stint as a left-wing commentator and campaigner.
asserted
He → leave → commentator
The court found him guilty of sexual assaults against an MTV worker, a Channel 4 worker and a Capital Radio employee, as well as raping a 21-year-old fan.
asserted
him → find → fan
The organizations that propped up Brand for years despite complaints are now facing questions about how he had continued for so long.
asserted
he → prop → questions
British culture minister Lisa Nandy on Sunday said men in power were still exploiting women in the media industry, saying his case was a “wake-up call”.
asserted
case → say → industry
The Aporia
