Russell Brand guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London unanimously found on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and he will be sentenced on Monday, 9 November 2026.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the jury returned its verdicts after a four-week trial of Brand, 51, from Oxfordshire. The offences took place between 2004 and 2009 against four women, in locations that included a radio station, the set of a DVD recording and Brand’s home address. Detectives gathered evidence from more than 100 witnesses and thousands of documents.
Russell Brand guilty verdicts: What the jury decided
The jury convicted Brand of raping a woman he met after a 2009 stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo, of sexually assaulting a woman at a party in a Soho bar in 2004, and of groping a woman at a radio station in 2004 or 2005. The fourth conviction was for a sexual assault on another woman.
He was found not guilty of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. The maximum sentence for rape is life imprisonment, while sexual assault carries a maximum of 10 years. Judge Joel Bennathan told Brand he faces a “significant” prison term, refused bail because of a risk he might flee, and remanded him in custody.
What police said about the Russell Brand verdict
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, of the Metropolitan Police Service, paid tribute after the verdicts to “the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them”. He also described how Brand used his public profile:
Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women.
During four separate police interviews, Brand was given detailed accounts of the allegations but repeatedly claimed he did not recognise the women involved, the Metropolitan Police said. As the case approached trial his account changed, and prosecuting counsel described his recollection as “selective memory”. Brand pleaded not guilty to every count and maintained that the encounters were consensual.
How the Russell Brand case reached court
Jaswant Narwal of the Crown Prosecution Service announced the charges against Brand on Friday, 4 April 2025, after a police investigation that began in September 2023 following a joint media investigation into allegations against him. Narwal said:
We have today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Russell Brand with a number of sexual offences.
Brand pleaded not guilty on Friday, 30 May 2025. In December 2025, prosecutors authorised two further counts, taking the case to seven charges, all of which he denied. The jury cleared him of three of those seven and convicted him on the remaining four.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the force’s investigation into allegations of rape made by two other women remains ongoing. The force said the suspect in that inquiry has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations.
Sources
- Metropolitan Police, Russell Brand convicted of rape and other sexual offences (5 November 2026)
- NPR, Russell Brand is convicted of rape, and judge says he'll get a prison term (5 November 2026)
- ABC News (Australia), Jury finds Russell Brand guilty of rape and sexual assault (6 November 2026)
- Press Association (via Yahoo), Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
- NBC News, Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
- Yahoo News, Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assaults; actor being investigated over more rape allegations
- CNN (via Yahoo), UK police charge comedian Russell Brand (4 April 2025)
- UPI (via Yahoo), Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape, sexual assault charges (30 May 2025)
- Swisher Post, Russell Brand hit with two more sex offence charges as UK case expands (23 December 2025)
