Russell Brand could face further rape charges within weeks after being convicted on Thursday of sexually attacking four women.
The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces years in prison and could also see his £16million fortune threatened by a series of civil claims in Britain and the United States.
Brand was found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The Crown Prosecution Service is now considering additional charges after he was accused of two further rapes, including an allegation involving a 16-year-old girl.
During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Brand as a sexually voracious ‘monster’ who was determined to achieve his alleged ‘goal’ of sleeping with 5,000 women. He closed his eyes in the dock as the jury delivered its verdicts.
His sobbing wife, Laura, collapsed in the public gallery and held an aide’s hand for support. As the verdicts were announced, Brand mouthed to her: ‘I love you.’
Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, asked father-of-three Brand to be allowed to spend the weekend explaining the conviction to his children. However, Mr Justice Bennathan remanded him in custody and warned that he faced a ‘lengthy custodial sentence’.
The defendant was led to the cells after gesturing to his lawyers: ‘I’m OK. I’m good.’ His conviction is also expected to cause serious embarrassment for figures on the Left, including Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband, who had previously sought Brand’s support.
Labour recruited Brand during its unsuccessful 2015 election campaign under Mr Miliband, as the party attempted to attract younger voters.
Russell Brand, 51, could face new charges within weeks after he was convicted of four sexual offences
Brand, pictured in 2008, was described in court as a sexually voracious ‘monster’ bent on achieving his ‘goal’ of bedding 5,000 women
The explosive trial at Southwark Crown Court lasted just under four weeks. Jurors heard that Brand raped a 21-year-old fan at his £2.3million home in Hampstead in 2009, forcing her face-down onto a bed and leaving her bleeding and struggling to breathe.
Between 2004 and 2009, he also sexually attacked three other women, the court heard. One was groped at a radio station, another at a Soho bar, while a third said Brand placed his head in her lap during a Channel 4 project.
Detectives have appealed for more alleged victims to come forward after it emerged that officers had already submitted evidence files to prosecutors in the hope of securing further charges.
Prosecution papers not shown to the jury indicate that Brand could face ‘outstanding charges’ relating to an alleged relationship with a schoolgirl whom he is accused of grooming and raping when he was 30.
The woman, known by the pseudonym ‘Alice’ in a 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches programme about Brand, claimed that a BBC car drove her from school to the star’s home, where she was later abused.
She alleged that Brand called her ‘my little dolly’ during their three-month relationship and that she had to punch him to stop one attack.
BBC executives are likely to face questions after Brand previously claimed that his boss, Lesley Douglas, then the BBC controller of Radio 2 and 6 Music, had been ‘incredibly tolerant’ of his inappropriate sexual behaviour while he was a presenter.
In his memoir, Brand said this tolerance included allowing him to use BBC disabled toilets to have sex with 6 Music competition winners.
Brand stands while listening to Judge Mr Justice Bennathan at Southwark Crown Court, London, as he is found guilty of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women
A tearful Ms Gallacher leaves court without her husband, who was remanded in custody
Channel 4 executives are also likely to be questioned over allegations that they ignored Brand’s behaviour and allowed him to carry out sexual attacks in plain sight.
Detectives considered whether other people in the entertainment industry, including Brand’s aides, should face charges for allegedly enabling or assisting his crimes. They concluded there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
At least two other women accused Brand of sexual abuse before the trial, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue their allegations.
Investigators believe Brand’s conviction could prove a ‘watershed moment’ by giving other women the confidence to report allegations.
Brand is already facing civil claims in Britain and America.
In Britain, a woman has lodged a High Court claim seeking £100,000 in damages. She alleges that Brand forced himself on her at his Los Angeles mansion in 2008.
The then-23-year-old said she fled in terror while half-dressed after Brand allegedly pushed her onto a bed and tried to perform sexual acts against her will.
A separate lawsuit has been filed in New York. An extra in the 2010 romantic-comedy remake Arthur alleges that Brand exposed himself to cast members before sexually assaulting her on set.
Thursday’s verdict could open the way for victims to pursue claims against Brand, potentially leaving him almost penniless.
Brand sits with his bible as he is interviewed by police in July 2025
Photographers clamour to get a picture of Brand as he is taken from court in a prison van
Once one of Britain’s best-known stand-up comedians, Brand could also face prosecution in the United States over separate allegations of rape and sexual assault.
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His US lawyer, Mark Cuccaro, has said Brand has a ‘reasonable belief criminal prosecution is possible in the US based on allegations tantamount to criminal sexual misconduct’.
Despite the growing allegations, Brand appeared confident that he would be acquitted.
He hired a film crew to document his movements and reflections about being in an ‘aquarium pool dock’, apparently with the intention of producing a documentary about what he described as the ‘unfairness’ of his trial.
Outside court, Brand recorded podcasts attacking the media and blaming journalists for his situation. He also tried to prevent the trial from going ahead, accusing reporters who exposed the allegations of being ‘criminals’.
In one recording made with his wife, while the pair wore matching leopard-print dressing gowns, Brand praised far-Right activist Tommy Robinson for his ‘passion’ and ‘bravery’. The comments came days before the former EDL leader was convicted at the same court of harassing Daily Mail journalists.
However, when the defence case began, Brand was unable to persuade anyone other than his wife to give evidence on his behalf.
In a move unlikely to have impressed jurors, Mr Winter opened the defence by saying that no one would ‘touch him with a barge pole’.
Ian Winter KC, Russel Brand’s barrister, exploded at a Sunday Times journalist in court whose investigation led to the victims coming forward
Brand was for years able to abuse women with impunity through his celebrity status
After a three-year police investigation, Brand’s defence unravelled in a single day.
His position deteriorated after he admitted during a damaging appearance in the witness box that his account had changed. Lawyers then contacted former girlfriends in a last-minute attempt to support his case.
But the two women who provided statements the morning after Brand’s evidence were not offering him glowing character references.
Both described his repeated infidelity, while even his wife acknowledged that his constant womanising had broken her heart during the early stages of their relationship.
Jurors also heard that the aspiring actor had relied financially on girlfriends and could not be trusted to pay rent or bills before he became famous.
The evidence presented a bleak picture of a man once celebrated for his charm and charisma.
Brand also obtained a statement from Georgina Baillie, the granddaughter of actor Andrew Sachs. However, the defence decided that reminding jurors of the scandal involving her was unlikely to help his case.
Hi, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults, while our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull were in court throughout the trial. They spoke to Detective Inspector Laura Nelson, who explained why the women who accused Brand in the documentary were not involved in his rape trial.
In October 2008, Brand was forced to leave Radio 2 after he and co-presenter Jonathan Ross left a lewd voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, disclosing that Brand had slept with Mr Sachs’s granddaughter, Ms Baillie.
On Thursday night, she told Channel 5 News that Brand needed to ‘tell the truth and make amends’.
When Brand gave evidence, the comedian once known for his fast-talking style often appeared unable to find the words. He stumbled through some answers, moving his lips silently before responding hesitantly to questions.
Mr Winter ended the defence case by repeating a series of rape myths, arguing that Brand could not be guilty because the women had not screamed, kicked, slapped him or directly accused him of rape.
The closing speech was condemned by rape campaigners but failed to convince the jury, which took just over eight hours to reach guilty verdicts.
Minutes after the convictions, Brand’s angry barrister launched a foul-mouthed attack on the journalist whose investigation helped expose the allegations.
Mr Winter confronted a Sunday Times journalist, saying: ‘I hope you are pleased with yourself.’ When the journalist replied, ‘I’m pleased justice has been done,’ Mr Winter snarled: ‘Well, it wasn’t. You f***** it. Congratulations.’
Later, Sunday Times editor Ben Taylor said: ‘He’s impugning the integrity of the entire case.’
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman said she wanted the law changed so juries are warned about ‘rape myths’. She criticised ‘outdated and harmful assumptions’ that victims must scream or physically fight their attackers.
Deniz Ugur, of the End Violence Against Women coalition, said: ‘It is really appalling to see defence lawyers intentionally lean into a whole range of tired tropes and myths about rape.’
A spokesman for domestic abuse charity Refuge said: ‘It is deeply troubling that professionals in the justice system continue to perpetuate harmful myths about abuse.’
Brand will be sentenced on Monday. He was acquitted of two rapes and one attempted indecent assault.