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Actor and comedian Russell Brand was convicted Thursday by a London jury of rape and sexual assault involving six women — and taken into custody facing life in prison.
The 51-year-old “Get Him to the Greek” star was found guilty by a 12-person jury in Southwark Crown Court on three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
He faces up to life in prison at his sentencing.
During the three-week trial, the panel heard evidence that Brand assaulted six women in a hotel room, MTV’s London office, the bathroom of a London bar, a radio station, a recording studio and at his own home in unrelated incidents spanning from 1999 to 2009.
Prosecutors said Brand was a “sexual predator.”
But the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” actor maintained that all his sexual encounters were consensual — while acknowledging he was sex-obsessed when he was younger during his testimony. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Brand’s lawyer, Ian Winter, claimed the “well of justice had been corrupted and contaminated” by a 2023 documentary about the actor featuring anonymous accusers.
Winter asked jurors to separate how Brand treated women from the criminal acts he was accused of, making a distinction between being a jerk and being a rapist.
“It is not criminal to treat women unkindly before, during or after sex,” Winter said. “It is not, I am afraid, criminal to be disrespectful or rude or to act like a crazy idiot.”
Brand “had an immense amount of sex and none of it was unlawful,” the defense attorney said.
“Disgusting, distasteful, immoral, who cares?” Winter said. “It’s irrelevant to your consideration.”
Brand’s wife, Laura Gallacher, with whom he shares three kids, came to trial each day with him. He was previously married to pop star Katy Perry.
With Post wires
