London — Russell Brand was convicted Thursday of rape and sexual assault charges involving four women on allegations dating back more than 20 years. Judge Joel Bennathan said the British actor-comedian faces a "significant" prison term when he is sentenced Monday. Brand had been free, but the judge rejected a bail request because of the possibility he might flee and he was taken into custody.
"I regret the hardship caused to the children, of course," the judge said. "But the hardship has been caused by serious criminal offending by their father." Brand was a ruthless, calculating, manipulative "sexual predator," prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said at trial. Brand, 51, denied the charges and testified that he was obsessed with sex as a young man and once led a promiscuous life but had never forced anyone to do something against their will.
He was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand closed his eyes as the guilty verdict on the rape count was read but showed no emotion otherwise.
When bail was denied, he gestured to his lawyers that he was OK and repeatedly said, "I'm good, I'm good, I'm good," before being taken away. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London's Metropolitan Police said the conviction was "a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them." "Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women," he said. "As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement." The jury of eight men and four women in Southwark Crown Court deliberated more than eight hours over two days.
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. He appeared in Hollywood films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry. In recent years he has moved away from mainstream media, relocated to Florida and built a large online following with videos mixing wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious devotion.
Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004, but cleared of orally raping her in a restroom. He was also found guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 and of anally raping a fan he met backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009. The final conviction was for sexually assaulting a different woman who says the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin during the recording of an advertisement in 2009.
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