Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape by London Jury

British actor and comedian Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a three-week trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.

A jury delivered the guilty verdicts Thursday, finding the 51-year-old guilty of raping a woman at his London home in 2009 and sexually assaulting three other women in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009.

Brand faced seven charges involving six women, with allegations spanning a decade of his showbiz career.

According to the BBC, he was charged with three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. He was acquitted of two rape charges and the attempted indecent assault charge.

The rape conviction involves a woman who met Brand after attending one of his comedy shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. She later visited his home in Hampstead, where they initially had consensual vaginal sex.

However, she told the court Brand turned her over and anally raped her despite repeatedly asking him to stop.

Brand was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at a Soho bar in 2004, where he grabbed her breasts during a birthday party. Another conviction involved a woman working at a London radio station in 2004-2005. She told the court Brand pushed her against a wall, kissed her and grabbed her breasts and buttocks without her consent.

The third sexual assault conviction stemmed from a 2009 Channel 4 project. Brand placed his head and nose into the vaginal area of a female colleague while she was working with him.

During the trial, prosecutor David Roberts described Brand as a predator who used his celebrity status to commit sexual crimes.

“He was a manipulator with an insatiable desire to get what he wanted regardless of whether consent was given or not,” Roberts said following the verdicts.

Brand, best known for his roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and St. Trinian’s, denied all of the allegations. He told the court he had never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.

Following the verdict, Judge Joel Bennathan told Brand to expect “significant custodial time” when he is sentenced on Monday. His bail was also refused, and he was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that London’s Metropolitan Police have confirmed Brand is also under investigation over further rape allegations.

The six women involved in the trial are entitled to lifelong anonymity.