Russell Brand guilty of one rape count and three sexual assaults, acquitted of two rape counts and one attempted indecent assault charge
A jury at London's Southwark Crown Court on Thursday 5 November 2026 convicted Russell Brand, 51, of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and acquitted him of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. The seven charges concerned six women and alleged offences between 1999 and 2009; Brand had denied all of them. Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand the consequence of the verdicts is 'inevitably a significant custodial term', refused bail and remanded him in custody for sentencing on Monday 9 November. The Metropolitan Police said after the verdicts that its investigation into rape allegations by two further women remains ongoing — those are allegations under investigation, not charges or findings.
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Key points
- Split verdict at Southwark Crown Court (5 Nov 2026): Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault; acquitted of two rape counts and one attempted indecent assault charge.
- The seven charges concerned six women and alleged offences from 1999 to 2009; Brand had pleaded not guilty to all of them and maintained every encounter was consensual.
- Mr Justice Bennathan said a significant custodial term is inevitable, refused bail and remanded Brand in custody; sentencing is on Monday 9 November.
- The Met Police say an investigation into rape allegations by two further women is ongoing, with files sent to prosecutors — allegations, not charges.
Watch: the moment itself
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Video: BBC News · Watch on YouTube
What happened
Russell Brand, 51, built a career as a stand-up comedian, broadcaster and Hollywood actor before remaking himself as an online commentator with a large following. The case against him began in September 2023, when Channel 4's Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times published allegations of rape, sexual assault and abusive behaviour; police opened an investigation and, in April 2025, prosecutors charged him, adding further charges in December 2025 to reach seven charges involving six women. His trial at Southwark Crown Court began on 12 October 2026 and ran for about three weeks.
The verdicts split along the counts: the jury convicted on the 2009 Hammersmith Apollo rape and on three sexual assaults (Soho 2004, a London radio station in 2004/05, a Channel 4 project in 2009), and acquitted on two further rape counts and one attempted indecent assault charge. That split is the outcome — which is why this page's headline, slug and summary all carry both halves of it.
Claim by claim
Why this label: Verified on the court's verdicts as reported in agreement by Reuters (via USA Today, read in full in this run), CNN and PA court reporting (via Tyla/LADbible, read in this run). Outlets differ on the radio station's name (Choice FM in several reports), so this page names only 'a London radio station' — the unsettled detail is not published as fact. The acquittals are carried in the headline, slug and summary, not buried: a bare 'found guilty of rape' would misstate a split verdict.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Verified on PA's court reporting carried by CNN, Tyla and LADbible (read in this run) and on USA Today's report of the refusal of bail and the 9 November sentencing date. The maximum sentence is stated as the legal maximum, not as a prediction of Brand's term — the judge gave no indication of the length he has in mind.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Verified as Brand's and his defence's stated positions at trial, from USA Today's full report (read in this run). The jury rejected the defence on four counts and accepted it, in effect, on three — the verdicts above are the court's outcome; this claim records the position Brand maintained, it does not revive it as fact.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (2 more)
Why this label: Verified as the Met's and the CPS's own post-verdict statements, quoted by CNN and The Times (read in this run). These are the prosecuting authorities' characterisations, carried as their statements — the findings of fact in this case are the jury's verdicts in the first claim.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The Met's confirmation of an ongoing investigation is reported by CNN, Tyla and LADbible (read in this run). The allegations themselves are unproven, no charge has been brought, and nothing in this claim is a finding against Brand — it is carried so readers know the police say a separate process continues, and it will be replaced, not stacked, if prosecutors act.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The verdicts, count by count, the judge's 'significant custodial term' warning, the refusal of bail and the 9 November sentencing date — from Reuters, CNN, USA Today and PA court reporting in agreement, read in this run.
- That Brand denied all charges and maintains his encounters were consensual — his stated position at trial.
What we don't know yet
- The sentence — it will be set on 9 November; the legal maximum for rape (life) is not a prediction.
- Whether Brand appeals any conviction — no appeal has been announced in the reporting read.
- The outcome of the Met's ongoing investigation into two further rape allegations — files are with the CPS; no charges have been brought and the allegations are unproven.
Show more (1)
- The name of the radio station in the 2004/05 sexual-assault count — outlets differ (Choice FM in several reports), so this page does not name it.
Why it matters
Brand is one of the most recognisable British entertainers of his generation, and the case tested whether allegations reaching back to 1999–2009 — aired first by journalists, not police — could be proved in court a quarter-century on. The jury's answer was split, and both halves matter: four convictions that will send him to prison, and three acquittals on charges the prosecution did not prove. Keeping those halves together, rather than flattening the day into 'guilty of rape', is what the verdict actually was.
Background
Show the background timeline (5)
Channel 4's Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times publish allegations against Brand; the Metropolitan Police open an investigation.
Prosecutors charge Brand; further charges in December 2025 bring the case to seven charges involving six women, for alleged offences between 1999 and 2009.
The trial opens at Southwark Crown Court in London; Brand pleads not guilty to all counts and testifies that his encounters were consensual.
The jury convicts on one rape count and three sexual-assault counts and acquits on two rape counts and one attempted indecent assault charge; Brand is remanded in custody.
Sentencing is scheduled; the judge has said a significant custodial term is inevitable.
Update history
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Story published in Checking state as a standard from queue MANUAL 1765 (BIG — the world's most-searched topic in the scan window; Vozia was not carrying it). Basis: Reuters via USA Today read in full in this run, with CNN and PA reporting (Tyla, LADbible, The Times) in agreement. JUDGE AUDIT: (1) headline, slug, SEO title and summary all state the same split outcome — guilty of one rape count and three sexual assaults AND acquitted of two rape counts and one attempted indecent assault charge; the outcome words (guilty / acquitted, with their counts) survive everywhere, per the outcome-word rule. (2) Verdicts, the judge's words and the procedural facts are Verified on multiple independent court reports; police/CPS characterisations are labelled as their statements; the two further allegations are a Not-yet-verified claim with no charges, stated as such in the summary and key points too. (3) Every number traces to the reporting: 51 years old, seven charges, six women, 1999–2009, jury of 12, about 8.5 hours of deliberation, sentencing 9 November. (5) Brand's defence position is present in full; the unsettled radio-station name is withheld and noted. (6) Photo is a labelled 2025 file photo; the video is BBC News' official YouTube report, oEmbed-verified in this run. Translations: headline, summary and take labels in all 13 non-English languages at publish; this story carries no FR/AR full text, so no full-text rebuild arose.