Russell Brand found guilty of rape, sexual assaults

Russell Brand, the 51-year-old British comedian, TV host, and actor, has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault. The verdict came after a six-and-a-half-hour jury deliberation at Southwark Crown Court. Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, while two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault were dismissed.

The jury found him guilty of one incident of groping an MTV worker in a Soho bar in 2004, but not guilty of raping her in a toilet. Additionally, Brand was convicted of kissing and groping a Capital Radio worker in 2005, as well as raping a 21-year-old fan at a stand-up show in 2009. Furthermore, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009 through forced massage.

However, the jury acquitted Brand of raping a woman at a 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth and of attempting to indecently assault an MTV worker in 2001. The judge stated that Brand would likely receive a lengthy custodial sentence following the sentencing hearing on Monday. Brand's defense claimed that his accusers were part of a media conspiracy and argued that consent was more important than sex.

Yet, he faced evidence from six women who accused him of sexual misconduct between 1999 and 2009, along with excerpts from his 2007 book where he claimed sex was a "birthright" and detailed his pursuit of sleeping with 5,000 women.