A London jury on Thursday convicted comedian Russell Brand of rape and sexual assault in relation to a string of attacks that the celebrity argued were all consensual during a promiscuous episode of his life more than a decade ago.
Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand, 51, would receive a prison sentence after he was found guilty of one charge of rape and three charges of sexual assault. Jurors acquitted him on two counts of rape and one count of indecent assault.
Brand was taken into custody after the verdict was read aloud in the courtroom. He is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
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Prosecutors said Brand was a calculated “sexual predator” who targeted women at radio stations, recording studios, London’s MTV office, hotel rooms and in bar bathrooms between 1999 and 2009.
Brand’s defense team acknowledged the comedian had a wild sex life during his drug-addled rise to stardom, but argued “none of it was unlawful.”
The defense blamed the criminal case on a 2023 documentary that included anonymous allegations against the comedian, with attorney Ian Winter saying the “well of justice had been corrupted and contaminated” by the production.
“It is not criminal to treat women unkindly before, during or after sex,” Mr. Winter said in his closing statement. “It is not, I am afraid, criminal to be disrespectful or rude or to act like a crazy idiot.”
Brand became a British celebrity in the early 2000s by hosting TV shows and a BBC radio program.
His popularity grew across the pond when he starred in American-made films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.” Brand had a short, two-year marriage to American pop star Katy Perry.
Brand moved to Florida and garnered a large online presence with his video content covering his newfound religiosity as well as conspiracy theories and wellness routines.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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