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On the 5th, a jury in a London court found popular British comedian Russell Brand, 51, guilty of rape and sexual assault. Sentencing is scheduled for the 9th.
Following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in south-east London, the jury deliberated for eight and a half hours before finding her guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Brand was denied bail and was taken into custody. He is scheduled to be sentenced at the same court on the 9th.
The defendant is accused of assaulting six women between 1999 and 2009, during his rise to fame as a popular British entertainer. The women testified in court that the defendant used his great fame to coerce them into performing sexual acts.
The defendant, who entered the courthouse with his wife Laura for the verdict to be announced on the 5th, told his wife, ``I love you,'' and sat down in the defendant's chair. The jury showed no emotion as they delivered their verdict.
As he left the defendant's stand, he lip-synced to his defense attorney and told him, "It's okay, it's okay." He took a calm step and showed almost no emotion at this time.
After handing down the verdict, Judge Benathan told Brand to prepare for a ``substantial prison sentence''.
In addition to the incident indicted in the latest criminal trial, Brando has been accused of rape by two other women and is already under police investigation. The Metropolitan Police said the investigation was "ongoing".
A jury found Brand guilty of raping a fan he met after a comedy show at a London theater in 2009.
He was also found guilty of sexually groping an employee of entertainment channel MTV at a party in 2004 at a bar in downtown London's Soho. He was later found not guilty of raping the woman in a bathroom.
He was also found guilty of kissing and groping an FM radio employee he met in a hallway inside the Capital Radio building in 2004 or 2005, and of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 employee in 2009 when he forced her to give him a massage.
Brand argued in court that he was the victim of a media conspiracy to paint him as a serial sex offender. "Consent is more important than the sexual act itself," he emphasized.
During the trial, the defendant admitted that he had used his fame to "make it easy to obtain sexual relationships" and that he had been "obsessed" with sex in the past and had "an extremely disordered sex life," but denied all charges, insisting that the sex had always been consensual.
Bland's lawyer told jurors that Bland had sexual relations with numerous people, but "none of them were illegal."
In response, six women gave persuasive testimony about the defendant's multiple crimes over a period of more than 10 years.
In addition, during the hearing, prosecutors said that the defendant himself claimed in a 2007 book that sex was a "birthright." Several friends also testified that the defendant aimed to have sex with 5,000 women.
Following the guilty verdict, Superintendent Andy Furphy, who led the investigation, praised the "extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them".
"Despite the intense scrutiny of the media and the public, these women trusted us by retelling their very private and painful experiences. Without their courage, this result would not have been possible," the superintendent said.
"Brand used his influence, position and fame to exploit and sexually abuse women. As his fame grew, so did his sense of entitlement," he added. "I hope this verdict sends a clear message that no matter how famous or powerful, no one is above the law."
Brand, who was born in Essex in southeastern England, became famous as a stand-up comedian in 2000, appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and other festivals.
After that, he entered the world of broadcasting and hosted TV and radio programs. In the mid-2000s, he quickly gained recognition as the host of ``Big Brother Big Mouth,'' a related program to the popular reality show ``Big Brother.'' He became one of Britain's most popular presenters.
On the other hand, it has always been controversial, especially during live broadcasts of award ceremonies, where anything can happen.
He also hosted various programs on the BBC, most notably on 6 Music and Radio 2 from 2006 to 2008.
However, in 2008, when an actor scheduled to appear on a BBC Radio 2 program was absent, he recorded sexual content on the actor's answering machine, including that he had a sexual relationship with the actor's granddaughter, during the program along with another co-star. More than 40,000 people protested against the broadcast, the BBC was fined by Ofcom, and the head of Radio 2 resigned. Brand was removed from the BBC program.
After that, he moved to Hollywood and appeared in movies such as ``The Cuckold's Love Vacation.''
In recent years, he has increased his following on YouTube by making skeptical claims about the coronavirus pandemic. He has developed a passionate following by challenging mainstream media coverage on a variety of topics, developing his political and social views, and often promoting conspiracy theories. He also enthusiastically shared health advice.
(English article Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault)
