Russell Brand remains the subject of two more rape investigations in London, the Metropolitan Police said Friday, a day after a jury convicted the 51-year-old comedian on four counts: one of rape and three of sexual assault.
The new allegations come from two women whose claims were not part of his trial. Detectives have already questioned Brand under caution, and files on both complainants have gone to the Crown Prosecution Service, a Met spokesperson said, with investigators staying in contact with prosecutors as their work continues.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it would not surprise him if still more people stepped forward. Det. Supt. Andy Furphy, who led the inquiry, called Brand a predator who used fame and power to abuse women and said he believes there are more victims, arguing that convictions tend to encourage others to report.
Legal documents from a pre-trial hearing suggest one of the two women was 16 at the time and appeared in a Channel 4 documentary. Brand has denied the allegations.
Sentencing set for Monday
Brand was denied bail after Thursday's verdict at Southwark Crown Court and will spend the weekend in custody before sentencing on Monday, Nov. 9. The judge, Mr. Justice Bennathan, told him to expect a significant prison term.
Six women testified against him over alleged offenses from 1999 to 2009, the decade he became one of Britain's most prominent entertainers. Jurors acquitted him of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand denied every charge.
After the verdict, police released video of his interviews with detectives. In a December 2023 session, seated beside his attorney, Brand read a prepared statement insisting his encounters had been consensual, then largely refused to discuss specific allegations, repeatedly saying he had nothing further to add.
Debate over the courtroom
Rowley also said courtroom remarks he had heard about from the trial came close to victim blaming. He was asked about the defense barrister's reported argument to jurors that none of the complainants had resisted, screamed or tried to leave.
The commissioner said he would strongly back a legal duty, sought by the victims' commissioner in the Courts and Tribunals Bill, requiring judges in every rape trial to instruct juries on rape myths and misconceptions.
It shouldn't be possible for inaccurate statements to be made to a jury to suggest that because a rape victim didn't behave in one way that somehow undermines their case.
Sir Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police commissioner
Furphy said Brand's steady stream of public commentary made the case harder, adding that in his view the comedian pushed right up to the limit of what is acceptable during a live criminal trial. Brand kept his podcast running after his 2024 indictment.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who as shadow health secretary posted support for Brand on Twitter in 2014, called the crimes horrific on Friday and said he had no idea of the full extent of Brand's conduct.
Television production company Various Artists Ltd asked its head of comedy, Jack Bayles, to step back. Bayles was part of Brand's entourage in 2009 and was said to have been present during one of the assaults; he said he does not remember the incident and apologized.
