Russell Brand, the British comedian, actor and popular YouTuber, was found guilty of rape in a London court on Thursday, with a judge telling him to expect “significant custodial time.”
A jury decided that Brand, 51, did rape a fan after they met at one of his shows in West London in 2009. He was also found guilty of groping an MTV worker at a bar in central London in 2004, kissing and groping another woman at her workplace in 2005 and sexually assaulting another woman in 2009 by forcing her to give him a massage.
The judge in the case, Joel Bennathan, told Brand to expect “significant custodial time” when he is sentenced on Monday, according to reporting from the New York Times. He was taken into custody after the jury rendered its verdict and was denied bail until his sentencing.
Brand’s four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court made international headlines, and British news reports suggest he could face additional rape charges. Sky News reported that the Met Police in London have ongoing investigations into other rape allegations.
The woman whose rape led to Brand’s conviction told police that she met the comedian as his career was on the rise at the Hammersmith Apollo in London after his performance. She told police that she “was expecting to have sex with him” during a visit to his house after their initial meeting. After consensual vaginal sex, Brand anally raped her without consent, which led her to tell police “she couldn’t speak or breathe,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
When the attack was over, the victim said he told her: “‘You need to clear up the mess you made.”
Brand’s wife Laura was in the courtroom, seen wiping at tears. The couple has three children.
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