Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape and Sexual Assault
Comedian and Hollywood actor Russell Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault Thursday morning as his weeks-long trial concluded.
The 51-year-old had been accused of seven offences spanning 10 years of a showbusiness career that ran from 1999 to 2009.
His trial began at Southwark Crown Court in London on 12 October, with the jury hearing testimony from the complainants and witnesses as well as the accused himself.
The BBC reports on the first day of the trial, the prosecution set out details of the alleged offences involving the six women.
The prosecutor described Brand as a “sexual predator” whose “strong desire for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious.”
Brand denied all the allegations and maintained his innocence throughout.
Known for risqué stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, Brand rose to prominence in the early 2000s, hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show.
Across the Atlantic he appeared in Hollywood films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
Brand has been remanded in custody and told he faces a “significant custodial term.”
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