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British comedian Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults by a London jury on Thursday, the offences involving four women in total.
Eyes closed when the verdict was delivered, Brand showed no emotion as he was also cleared of two rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The 51-year-old actor who turned into a conservative, religious online guru faces “significant custodial term,” as said by Judge Joel Bennathan.
Brand’s wife Laura watched from the public gallery as the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court delivered their four unanimous guilty verdicts. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Monday. The maximum sentence in the UK for rape is life imprisonment.
Briefly married to US pop star Katy Perry, Brand reportedly also faces accusations of raping two other women, including a 16-year-old schoolgirl. These allegations were revealed during previous hearings of his four-week trial, thus not included in the trial.
‘Courage’ of victimes
After the verdicts, the Metropolitan Police paid tribute 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,” the Met’s Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement.
“As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement. I hope this conviction sends a clear message that no one is above the law, no matter how famous or powerful they may be,” Furphy added.
Brand’s bail refused
Senior prosecutor David Roberts said outside the court Thursday that Brand’s behaviour was “predatory” and that he “used his celebrity status to commit sexual crimes.”
“He was a manipulator with an insatiable desire to get what he wanted regardless of whether consent was given or not,” Roberts added.
His offences involved four women between 2005 and 2009 in different locations, a radio station, the set of a DVD recording and Brand’s home. He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges saying that although he used to be promiscuous he had always had consensual sex.
The prosecution had earlier described him as a “ruthless, calculated and manipulative” sexual predator. Following the guilty verdicts, Brand’s lawyer Ian Winter urged the judge to renew his bail over the weekend as “an act of humanity” and to “put his affairs in order and in particular to say goodbye to his three young children.”
But Judge Bennathan refused to grant bail, saying Brand had “considerable resources” and whatever his good intentions might be, there was “fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence.”
From the dock, Brand signalled to his defence team that he was okay, adding: “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good” before being led out of the dock.