Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault, taken into custody after London jury returns verdict

The verdict nobody could walk back

Thursday morning in London, a jury at Southwark Crown Court delivered a verdict that ended a trial that had been building toward this moment for years. Variety reports that Russell Brand, the former actor and comedian, was convicted on three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. He is 51 years old.

Short version: he is going to prison. According to NPR, Judge Joel Bennathan told Brand directly that he faced a "significant" prison term and said sentencing is set for Monday. Variety quoted the judge telling Brand: "You've been convicted of a number of offenses, including one of rape," adding that a custodial sentence of "some length" was inevitable and that extending Brand's bail was unlikely.

The charges against Brand spanned a decade, from 1999 to 2009. CNN reports that Brand was found guilty of raping a 21-year-old admirer in 2009, after they met at one of his shows in west London. NPR added that he was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004. The Washington Post reports he was acquitted of two additional rape charges and a count of attempted indecent assault.

The jury heard from four women in total. PBS NewsHour reports that prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones called Brand a ruthless, calculating, manipulative "sexual predator" at trial. NPR quoted the prosecutor saying Brand "used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women." NPR also noted Brand closed his eyes as the guilty verdict on the rape count was read but showed no other visible emotion.

How it got here

The story began publicly in September 2023, when allegations against Brand first appeared in The Times and in Channel 4's investigative programme Dispatches. Rolling Stone Australia reported that the Metropolitan Police opened their investigation after those reports, eventually charging Brand and scheduling a trial for June 2026. The trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in mid-October 2026, according to CNN. Brand pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the allegations throughout proceedings.

Before the allegations went public, Brand had spent years in a strange second act. He was once a rising BBC and MTV presenter in the early 2000s, then a Hollywood comedy lead in films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, then a podcast provocateur who leaned hard into conspiracy content and, more recently, a vocal MAGA-adjacent figure who announced a conversion to Christianity. NPR reported he had been free on bail heading into the verdict. Al Jazeera confirmed he was taken into custody following the verdict and left the court in a police van.

The industry reaction and what comes next

The verdict carries weight far beyond celebrity gossip. Brand had millions of subscribers across YouTube and other platforms when the original Dispatches investigation aired, and the backlash that followed was immediate: the BBC, Channel 4, and production company Banijay all launched internal probes. Deadline previously reported that the BBC, Channel 4, and Big Brother producer Banijay had all led investigations after working with Brand on shows up until late last decade. That was before any trial. The conviction makes those questions sharper.

Sentencing is Monday. NBC News quotes Judge Bennathan telling Brand he "inevitably" faces a "significant" prison sentence. No range has been confirmed publicly yet.

Meanwhile, on a completely different legal frequency, TMZ exclusively reports that Nicki Minaj's own law firm, Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin & Lever, has asked a judge for permission to withdraw from representing her and her company Pink Friday Productions in a lawsuit brought by 24/7 Productions. TMZ obtained the legal filing, which cites "irreconcilable differences" over the conduct of the representation and a breakdown in communication. The underlying suit claims Minaj and Pink Friday Productions failed to reimburse over $200,000 in expenses connected to her Pink Friday 2 album. Per TMZ, a process server sent to notify Minaj at her $10 million penthouse was told by the building's concierge that she was not home and that the couple had a "tendency of not answering their phones." A December 1 hearing has been scheduled in Manhattan, according to DancehallMag, which also reported a separate $275,000 Jingle Ball-related suit frozen while the withdrawal request works through the courts.

Two very different kinds of accountability news on the same Thursday. For Brand, the jury has already spoken. For Minaj, the judge has not yet ruled on the withdrawal request, and the firm remains her legal representation until it does.

Sources

• Variety: Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape and Sexual Assault in London Trial; Taken Into Custody
• The Washington Post: Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault in London trial
• NPR: Russell Brand is convicted of rape, and judge says he'll get a prison term
• CNN: Actor and comedian Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
• PBS NewsHour: Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault
• NBC News: Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
• Al Jazeera: Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault by UK court
• Deadline: Russell Brand pleads not guilty (background)
• TMZ: Nicki Minaj's Lawyers Want To Drop Her As Client Over Alleged Communication Issues
• DancehallMag: Judge Pauses Nicki Minaj's $275K Jingle Ball Lawsuit as Her Lawyers Seek to Withdraw