More women contact UK police after Russell Brand rape case

Since the start of Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault trial, more women have come forward with allegations, according to Detective Inspector Andy Furphy from the London Metropolitan Police. Two further accusations against Brand are currently under investigation, as well as several more since the verdict on Thursday. Brand, who has become an online Christian guru, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday for one rape and three sexual assaults committed between 2004 and 2009.

The judge described him as a "sexual predator." However, Brand's defence lawyer, Ian Winter, has been heavily criticized for his comments during the trial, with Deputy Prime Minister Lucy Powell deeming some of them "incredibly depressing."

Victim support organizations, such as Victim Support and Rape Crisis England & Wales, have expressed distress over the defense's tactics, which they believe perpetuate victim blaming and reinforce rape myths. The organizations argue that these methods hark back to a previous era and put undue pressure on the victims, rather than focusing on the truth of the case. They state that such approaches are not only disgraceful but also indicative of a systemic failing faced by victim-survivors across the country.