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Russell Brand has been convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault in the United Kingdom. And the 51-year-old comedian is now in custody as he awaits sentencing.
A jury found Brand guilty of four of the seven charges against him on Thursday following a trial involving allegations from six women. He was acquitted of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. According to the BBC, he was taken into custody after the verdict and is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Related: Russell Comments On Ruby Rose’s Sexual Assault Allegations Against His Ex-Wife Katy Perry
The accusations concerned incidents dating from 1999 to 2009. The women described encounters in settings including a hotel, a bar, a radio station, a workplace, and Brand’s home.
Brand had previously denied all seven charges. As Sky News reported, he acknowledged during the trial that he’d been “reckless” in his pursuit of women and had used his fame to seek sexual relationships years ago. But he maintained that his encounters were consensual, telling jurors that consent was “fundamental, essential and necessary.”
His wife, Laura Brand, also testified for the defense. She discussed their complicated early relationship, which began in 2006 and ended the following year partly because of his difficulty remaining monogamous. As Sky News reported, Laura told the court:
“When I met him, I was aware that he liked women, and I was aware toward the latter half of that year that he was engaging with other women. I was not interested in having a relationship with him if he was sleeping with other people. I was invested; we both had told each other we loved each other, but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous.”
The couple reunited in 2015, married in 2017, and now share three children. Laura described her husband as “caring and kind, a wonderful father to our children, and an amazing, attentive husband.” She added:
“I feel very seen by him. We have a very honest, frank and clear relationship and marriage. … Our relationship has always been [about] honesty. I love him very much.”
As Perezcious readers no doubt know, the investigation began after Channel 4 and The Sunday Times published allegations against Brand in September 2023. Their joint reporting included accounts of alleged sexual and emotional abuse, and prompted a police inquiry.
Related: Russell Admits He ‘Pushed’ Katy Perry Into Marriage Because He Felt ‘Inadequate & Insecure’
Brand continued to deny wrongdoing the entire time, at one point saying in a video shared last year that he had struggled with drug and sex addiction but “what I never was was a rapist.” He insisted he had never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity.
Now, with four convictions on the record, Brand is awaiting a sentence that could mean years in prison.
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For more information on violence against women, go to https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-for-survivors.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via WENN]
