LONDON — British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault in a London court on Thursday.Brand, once one of Britain’s most high-profile broadcasters and the former husband of singer Katy Perry, had denied the accusations, saying the incidents had either been consensual, reinvented or re-imagined.
Brand, 51, was accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.Ultimately he was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
He was acquitted of the other charges.He had pleaded not guilty to all counts and consistently denied all of the allegations.A court sketch of a lawyer cross examining Russell Brand at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.Elizabeth Cook / PA via APThe accusations date back to Brand’s rise as a stand-up comedian and risqué presenter on British television.
He had a prominent radio show on the BBC and authored several best-selling biographies where he detailed his addictions to drugs and alcohol.At the height of his fame, Brand featured in several Hollywood movies including: “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.” His fame stateside was cemented when he briefly wed pop star Katy Perry in a lavish ceremony in India in 2010.
The couple divorced in 2012.In recent years, Brand has moved away from mainstream media, relocated to Florida and built a large online following with videos that discuss U.S.
politics, wellness, conspiracy theories and his newfound Christian faith.The three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London saw prosecutors label Brand “ruthless.”Brand made a name for himself on British television as a TV presenter and as a stand-up comedian.Mark Davis / WireImage via GettyProsecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told jurors that Brand at the time had an “indiscriminate and voracious” desire for sexual contact, and that “women were simply a means to an e...