British comedian and actor Russell Brand was found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults at Southwark Crown Court in London on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and told he faces jail. The 51-year-old, once one of Britain’s most prominent broadcasters, had denied all the charges, telling the jury the encounters had been consensual or had been reinvented.
The verdict, as Reuters reported, came after a trial that revisited Brand’s years at the height of his fame in the mid-2000s, when he worked for Channel 4 and the BBC. Prosecutors had described him as a ruthless sexual predator who abused his celebrity; Brand said he had never had non-consensual sex.
What the jury decided
| Charge | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Rape (2009) | Guilty |
| Sexual assault (2004) | Guilty |
| Sexual assault (2004-05) | Guilty |
| Sexual assault (2009) | Guilty |
| Rape (two further counts) | Not guilty |
| Attempted indecent assault | Not guilty |
Brand was acquitted of two further rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault. He had tried to have the case dismissed before the trial began, arguing that the publicity around it meant he could not receive a fair hearing.
The incidents behind the convictions
The rape conviction concerned a woman Brand met after a stand-up gig in 2009. She told the court they later went to his home, where consensual sex turned into rape. The three sexual assault convictions concerned incidents in 2004, 2004-05 and 2009, including one involving a woman working on a Channel 4 project and one involving a woman working at a London radio station. Three of the four women whose accounts led to convictions worked in the media industry, and details of the convictions were published by Reuters after the verdicts.
Several of the women told the jury they had not reported what happened at the time because of Brand’s standing, saying they feared they would not be believed or that speaking out could damage their careers.
From prime-time fame to the dock
Brand, who grew up in Grays, Essex, landed a presenting job at MTV in 2000 before his big break hosting a Big Brother spin-off on Channel 4. He became a regular across British television and radio, including the BBC, and his stand-up tours drew ever larger crowds.
The BBC sacked him in 2008 after he and Jonathan Ross left a lewd voicemail for actor Andrew Sachs during a radio show. Hollywood roles followed, and in 2011 two films he appeared in, Hop and Arthur, topped the US box office. He married US pop star Katy Perry in 2010 in Rajasthan; the marriage ended after 14 months.
In later years Brand moved away from mainstream television, publishing the bestselling book Revolution in 2014 and building a large online following as an anti-establishment political activist. His last on-screen credit, according to IMDb, was the 2022 film Death on the Nile. He has more than 10 million followers on X and 2.2 million subscribers to his Stay Free channel on Rumble, and was baptised as a Christian in 2024. His second wife, Laura, 39, the daughter of European Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher, told the trial he was a changed man. The couple have three children.
A reckoning for British broadcasting
The conviction has renewed scrutiny of how Britain’s entertainment industry treated powerful performers. Channel 4 said its thoughts were first and foremost with the six women involved in the case, and a Metropolitan Police detective said Brand was a sexual predator who abused his power throughout his career. The allegations against Brand first became public in 2023.
The verdict makes Brand one of the most high-profile British figures convicted of sex offences since the #MeToo movement swept the industry. It landed in a week already heavy with news, two days after the Democrats’ midterm sweep in the United States and a week after the Spain train crash near Urda killed at least 69 people.
What happens next
The judge told Brand he faces jail when he returns to court for sentencing. No date for sentencing has been confirmed in the reporting so far.
Brand also faces a civil lawsuit in the United States, which alleges that in 2010 he exposed himself to an extra on the set of Arthur. Warner Bros., one of the producers named in the suit, denies liability, and a judge rejected a move to have the case thrown out this month.
Russell Brand verdict: your questions answered
What was Russell Brand found guilty of? One count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court in London on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
Was he acquitted of anything? Yes. The jury acquitted him of two further rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
When did the offences take place? The incidents behind the convictions date to 2004-2009, when Brand was at the height of his fame working for Channel 4 and the BBC.
Will Russell Brand go to jail? The judge told him he faces jail. The sentence will be decided when he returns to court for sentencing.
What about the lawsuit in the United States? A separate civil case alleges an incident on the set of Arthur in 2010. It is still pending, and Warner Bros. denies liability.
