Russell Brand faces sentencing for rape and sexual assaults
A jury convicted the British comedian, aged 51, of one rape and three sexual assaults against four women between 2004 and 2009. He will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday, and the judge said he faces a long jail term.
The jury cleared Brand of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault. He was remanded in custody after the verdicts. The judge told him he faced a significant custodial term.
Brand denied the charges. He admitted during the trial that he was extremely promiscuous and used his fame to get sexual access. His wife, Laura Gallacher, gave evidence to the jury. She said he is a wonderful father to their three children and that monogamy was hard for him.
British culture minister Lisa Nandy told a broadcaster on Sunday that men in power still exploit young women in the media industry. She said she believed this probably happens today. She asked media and entertainment organisations to treat the case as a wake-up call.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating rape allegations by two more women.
Key facts
- Who
- Russell Brand (British comedian convicted of rape and sexual assaults, to be sentenced); Laura Gallacher (Brand's wife, who gave evidence to the jury); Lisa Nandy (British culture minister); Gordon Smart (former showbiz editor of The Sun)
- What
- British comedian Russell Brand was found guilty of one rape and three sexual assaults committed between 2004 and 2009 and cleared of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Monday; the judge said he faced a "significant custodial term".
- When
- 9 November 2026
- Where
- London, Southwark Crown Court, UK
- Status
- Reported