A London jury has convicted comedian and right-wing podcaster Russell Brand of one rape and three sexual assaults, and police are now investigating new allegations that include the alleged rapes of two more women. Brand, 51, denies all of the charges against him and is due to be sentenced on Monday. The trial judge has warned that the sentence is likely to be significant.
The jury cleared Brand of two other rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. The verdicts mark the latest development in a three-year investigation led by Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police. Brand was first charged in April 2025 over allegations made by four women, and two more women's allegations were added to the case in December.
The new probe centres on claims that have not yet been tested in court. One woman says she was 16 when Brand sent a car to collect her from school. Police have questioned Brand as a suspect in the investigation, and the case file has been sent to prosecutors, who will decide whether charges will follow. Police have said more people may come forward, meaning the number of alleged victims could grow.
The case has a complicated background. Prosecutors had earlier decided not to proceed with two other allegations, concluding that the evidence was insufficient. Brand has acknowledged sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was 30, but he maintains that those relationships were consensual and rejects any suggestion that he behaved as a groomer. In April, speaking on Megyn Kelly's show, he said that a power imbalance involves exploitation, a point that has been widely discussed since the charges were made public.
Kelly, a conservative media figure, has described the conviction as a travesty and has argued that the complainant in the case for which Brand was convicted of rape pursued him aggressively. Those remarks have added to the public debate surrounding the case, which has drawn attention because of Brand's prominence as a former Hollywood actor who later built a large audience through his podcast and political commentary.
Several important questions remain open. It is not yet known whether prosecutors will bring charges over the new allegations, how many further complainants may come forward, or how long Brand's sentence will be when the court sits on Monday. Brand has denied all charges, and the outcome of the sentencing hearing and of any further proceedings will determine the next stage of a case that has already run for several years.