LONDON. – British actor and comedian Russell Brand was found guilty on Thursday, five November, in a London court of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The four guilty verdicts relate to four women and incidents between 2004 and 2009. Brand was taken into custody following the verdict and faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence.
The British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that the verdict followed a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. Brand was found not guilty on two other counts of rape and one count of attempted sexual assault. He denied all charges and maintained throughout the trial that he had not forced anyone against their will. The jury deliberated for more than eight hours over two days before delivering the verdicts.
Judge Joel Bennathan rejected Brand's bail application and said he faces a substantial prison sentence. He is expected to be sentenced on Monday, nine November. Police also confirmed following the verdict that information concerning two further rape allegations against Brand had been passed to the prosecution authorities.
Brand rose to fame as a comedian, actor and television presenter and appeared in films including Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall He was married to Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012. The two announced their divorce in 2011.
Sources: Crown Prosecution Service, Associated Press, The Guardian
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
