Across the years between 2004 and 2009, four women carried experiences that a jury at Southwark Crown Court has now, unanimously, given legal form: one rape and three sexual assaults, attributed to a man once known as a comedian and public voice, Russell Brand. The verdicts landed in a room where he had said to his wife, "Laura, I love you," and he left the dock with little outward sign beyond closed eyes and a repeated assurance that he was "OK." It is a moment in a longer human story about power, fame, and the slow work of believing the people who speak after years of silence, and about how
Russell Brand remanded in custody after rape and sexual assault convictions at Southwark Crown Court
Four women were subjected to rape or sexual assault between 2004 and 2009, with one complainant aged 21 at the time of the Hammersmith Apollo incident in 2009.
"Laura, I love you," he said, before the guilty verdict came.
Mark
Four convictions, three acquittals. How should we read that split?
Mimi
Jurors looked at each allegation separately. They convicted on the Hammersmith Apollo rape and three sexual assaults, and cleared him of the 1999 Bournemouth rape, the 2001 attempted indecent assault and the Soho toilet allegation.
Luke
Worth saying plainly: the verdicts are the confirmed part. The reasoning behind each one isn't in this reporting.
Mark
What's the significance of the police comments?
Mimi
Detective Superintendent Furphy said the investigation is live and urged other victims to come forward. He also said he believes Brand still poses a risk to women.
Luke
That's the detective's belief, stated in answer to a question. It isn't a finding of the court.
Mark
And the prison details? There's a lot of colour there.
Mimi
Strip search, a three-minute call, a first-night pack, a Bible. It paints a picture of the first hours.
Luke
All of it traces to a source speaking to The Sun, unnamed. The word "petrified" is theirs. I'd treat it as reported, not established.
Mark
Why does the rape myths argument matter here?
Mimi
The defence told jurors none of the complainants resisted, screamed or tried to leave. Claire Waxman says that kind of expectation is a myth, and wants judges required to say so to juries.
Luke
Note she's arguing for law reform. She isn't claiming the jury in this case was misdirected, and the source doesn't say it was.
El Pulso
- A jury has unanimously found Russell Brand guilty of one rape and three sexual assaults, and the courtroom's quiet verdicts have turned a famous name into a convicted man.
- Three other charges, including a 1999 rape allegation, were dropped in the verdicts, leaving a mixed outcome that unsettles those following the case.
- Remanded in custody by Mr Justice Bennathan, Brand now faces a sentence the judge has described as significant, with the date set for Monday.
- Police insist the investigation is still live and are urging any other victims to come forward, while a call for mandatory rape myth directions in juries is gathering momentum.
Across the years between 2004 and 2009, four women carried experiences that a jury at Southwark Crown Court has now, unanimously, given legal form: one rape and three sexual assaults, attributed to a man once known as a comedian and public voice, Russell Brand. The verdicts landed in a room where he had said to his wife, "Laura, I love you," and he left the dock with little outward sign beyond closed eyes and a repeated assurance that he was "OK." It is a moment in a longer human story about power, fame, and the slow work of believing the people who speak after years of silence, and about how a justice system measures what it can and cannot prove. Sentencing follows on Monday, and the questions around it are not yet closed.
As the verdicts were read at Southwark Crown Court, Russell Brand turned to his wife, Laura Gallacher, and told her he loved her. When the guilty verdict came, the 51-year-old showed little on his face beyond closing his eyes, and as he was led from the dock he mouthed "I'm OK" several times to his legal team.
The jury had unanimously found him guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others, in offences dated between 2004 and 2009. The rape conviction concerns a 21-year-old woman he met after a comedy gig at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. The other three involve an MTV worker at a Soho bar, a woman at the Choice FM studios, and a Channel 4 employee who had been asked to give him a massage. Three further charges, including an alleged 1999 rape at a Bournemouth hotel during a Labour conference, were not proven. Mr Justice Bennathan remanded him in custody and warned of a significant custodial sentence, with sentencing set for Monday.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who led the inquiry, said he believes Brand still poses a risk to women, pointing to his position of power and his millions of followers. Police say the investigation remains open and that anyone who has not yet spoken to them should do so.
The trial has also sharpened a wider debate. Claire Waxman, the Victims' Commissioner, is calling for judges to be legally required to direct juries on rape myths, arguing that the belief that victims must scream, fight back or report immediately rests on outdated assumptions. Monday will show how long Brand will serve, and whether further charges follow.
As the verdicts were read at Southwark Crown Court, Russell Brand told his wife, Laura Gallacher, "Laura, I love you." When the guilty verdict came, the 51-year-old showed no visible reaction beyond closing his eyes. As he was led from the dock, he mouthed "I'm OK" several times to his legal team.
Jurors unanimously convicted him of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others, in offences dated between 2004 and 2009. Mr Justice Bennathan remanded him in custody and warned that he faced a "significant custodial sentence". Sentencing is set for Monday.
The rape conviction concerns a 21-year-old woman he met after a comedy gig at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. The three sexual assault convictions involve an MTV worker at a Soho bar, a woman at the Choice FM studios, and a Channel 4 employee who had been told to give him a massage.
Brand faced seven charges in all: three of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He was cleared of three of them. These were the alleged rape of a woman at a Bournemouth hotel in 1999, during a Labour Party conference where he was performing at a cabaret show; an attempted indecent assault, in which he was accused of grabbing a woman's arm and pulling her towards a central London toilet in 2001; and the alleged oral rape of a woman in a toilet at a London bar, during a Soho birthday party they both attended.
Prosecutors are also considering whether to bring charges over allegations from two further women, one of whom was 16 at the time.
The Sun, citing a source, reported that Brand was "petrified" ahead of his first night in custody and would be "monitored around the clock". According to the same account, he was strip-searched and scanned, allowed one three-minute phone call, likely to his wife, who is 39, and offered a microwave meal described as "inedible". He was given a first-night pack with toiletries, cereal, tea, milk and sugar, plus a vape pack and a Bible. The source said he would initially be held away from other inmates. These details are unnamed-source reporting, not confirmed by the prison service.
The detective who led the inquiry, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, said he believes Brand still poses a risk to women. Asked directly, he answered: "Yes, I do. I think he's got that position of power and trust and millions of followers." He said the investigation remains live, that more women may come forward, and that anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual offences by Brand and has not yet spoken to police should do so.
The trial has also fed a debate about how courts treat so-called rape myths. Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, told jurors that none of the complainants had "resisted or screamed or even tried to leave". Claire Waxman, the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, said the idea that victims must scream, fight back or report immediately is a well-established myth built on outdated assumptions. She is calling for a legal duty, written into the Courts and Tribunals Bill, requiring judges to direct juries on rape myths in every rape trial, saying consistent directions would help challenge stereotypes and improve understanding of trauma.
Monday's sentencing will show how long Brand will serve, and the police inquiry and the question of further charges remain open.
Citas Notables
Our work isn't done. There is a live investigation still taking place.— Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy
Judges should be legally required to direct juries on rape myths and misconceptions in every rape trial.— Claire Waxman, Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales (paraphrased)
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