Yes, Russell Brand was found guilty. On Thursday, November 5, 2026, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London found the comedian and actor, aged 51, guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The jury cleared him of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. The judge told Brand that he faces a significant custodial term and a lengthy prison sentence. Sentencing is set for Monday, November 9, 2026. Brand was refused bail and taken down to the cells after the verdicts were read out.
Quick Facts
| Verdict date | Thursday, November 5, 2026 |
| Court | Southwark Crown Court, London |
| Defendant | Russell Brand, 51, comedian and actor |
| Guilty counts | One count of rape and three counts of sexual assault |
| Not guilty counts | Two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault |
| Number of women involved | Six women across seven charges |
| Period of alleged incidents | 1999 to 2009 |
| Jury deliberation | About eight and a half hours |
| Trial start | October 12, 2026, lasting about three weeks |
| Judge | Mr Justice Bennathan |
| Sentencing date | Monday, November 9, 2026 |
| Bail | Refused after the verdicts |
What the jury decided
The jury returned a mixed set of verdicts after hearing evidence over about three weeks. Brand was found guilty on four of the seven counts he faced. He was found not guilty on the other three counts. That split shows that the jury looked at each charge on its own. Each count related to a different woman or a different alleged incident, and the jury gave a separate answer for each one.
The guilty counts were numbered 3, 5, 6 and 7 in the trial. Count 3 was a sexual assault said to have taken place at a party in a Soho bar in 2004. Count 5 was a sexual assault said to have taken place at the Choice FM studios in London in 2004 or 2005. Count 6 was the rape of a 21 year old fan who Brand had met after a stand up show at Hammersmith Apollo in 2009. Count 7 was a sexual assault of a woman who was working on a Channel 4 project in 2009. The jury found Brand guilty on each of those four counts.
The not guilty counts were numbered 1, 2 and 4. Count 1 was a charge of rape, count 2 was a charge of attempted indecent assault, and count 4 was a second charge of rape. Brand was cleared of all three. He had pleaded not guilty to every charge from the start of the case, and he kept that position through the whole trial. The verdicts therefore settled the case in part, while also clearing him on three of the charges that had been put before the court.
How the trial unfolded
The trial began at Southwark Crown Court on October 12, 2026, and it ran for about three weeks. During that time the court heard from the women who had made the complaints, from witnesses, and from Brand himself. The jury then went out to consider its verdicts. It deliberated for about eight and a half hours before it came back with its decisions on all seven counts. That shows how carefully the jury worked through the evidence before it reached its answers.
When the verdicts were read out, the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, spoke directly to Brand about what would follow. He told him that he faces a significant custodial term and a lengthy prison sentence. The judge then refused bail, and Brand was taken down to the cells. His wife, Laura Gallacher, was in the public gallery for the verdicts.
The cases behind the guilty counts
The four guilty counts cover a span of about five years, from 2004 to 2009. The earliest of them, count 3, relates to a party in a Soho bar in 2004. The court heard that the woman involved was groped at that party. The next, count 5, relates to the Choice FM studios in London in 2004 or 2005. The other two guilty counts both relate to 2009, but to different women and different settings. One involved a young fan after a show at Hammersmith Apollo, and the other involved a woman working on a Channel 4 project.
The women who made the complaints are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the law in England and Wales. That means their names must not be published, and no detail should be shared that could identify them. This article does not name any complainant, and it does not give graphic detail about what the court heard. The facts that matter for the public record are the counts, the dates, the places, and the verdicts, and those are the facts set out here.
What the four guilty verdicts have in common is that they all relate to a period when Brand was at the height of his fame as a broadcaster and performer. Prosecutors told the court that he used that public profile in the way he behaved toward the women. Brand denied the charges and said that the incidents had either been consensual, or had been reinvented or reimagined. The jury did not accept that account for the four guilty counts, although it did clear him on three other counts.
How the case reached court
The complaints that led to this trial became public after reporting by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times in September 2023. That reporting brought together accounts from several women, and it led to a police investigation. Brand was charged in April 2025, about a year and a half after the reporting was published. The case then moved through the court system until the trial opened in October 2026.
Brand first became famous as a comedian and radio presenter, then as a television host, and later as a film actor. He was married to the singer Katy Perry from 2010 to 2011, a marriage that kept him in the headlines in the United States as well as in Britain. In later years he moved toward online commentary and built a large audience for that work too, which helps to explain why the trial drew so much attention.
The verdict arrived on a busy day for entertainment news. The new trailer for the action film Karoshi, directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Teo Yoo, drew attention on November 5, as covered in the Karoshi trailer story. Casting news was also in the headlines, including the report that Maya Hawke has been cast in the Magic The Gathering movie.
What Brand said in his defence
Brand pleaded not guilty to all seven charges, and he gave evidence in his own defence during the trial. His position, as reported from the court, was that the incidents described by the women had either been consensual, or had been reinvented or reimagined over time. He denied that he had committed rape or sexual assault, and he asked the jury to accept his account of what had happened. The jury accepted that account for three counts, and it rejected it for four counts.
What happens next
Sentencing will take place on Monday, November 9, 2026. At that hearing the judge will pass sentence on the four guilty counts. The judge has already said that Brand faces a significant custodial term, which is the court’s way of saying that the sentence will be a prison term of real length. Until the hearing, no one outside the court can say exactly how many years that will be, or how the sentences for the four counts will run alongside each other.
There is also more police work that may follow. The Metropolitan Police have said that they are still investigating Brand over two more alleged rapes involving two other women, and that files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. Those are allegations under investigation only, and no charges have been brought in relation to them. They should not be treated as findings of guilt, and they should not be confused with the four counts on which Brand has now been convicted. Any decision on whether charges will follow will be made by prosecutors after they have looked at the files.
For readers following celebrity news, the magazine has also covered the debate around McKenna Grace and her decision to turn down roles that rely on nudity or hypersexual content, as reported in the McKenna Grace Cosmopolitan story, and the Hunger Games romance speculation around McKenna Grace and Joseph Zada. The Brand case is a reminder that celebrity news can sometimes turn into serious legal news, and that the court, not the headlines, is where the facts are tested.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Russell Brand found guilty?
Yes. On November 5, 2026, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London found Russell Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
When will Russell Brand be sentenced?
Sentencing is set for Monday, November 9, 2026. The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, told Brand that he faces a significant custodial term and a lengthy prison sentence. Brand was refused bail and taken down to the cells after the verdicts.
What were the guilty counts about?
The guilty counts were count 3, a sexual assault at a party in a Soho bar in 2004, count 5, a sexual assault at the Choice FM studios in London in 2004 or 2005, count 6, the rape of a 21 year old fan after a show at Hammersmith Apollo in 2009, and count 7, a sexual assault of a woman working on a Channel 4 project in 2009.
Are there other investigations into Russell Brand?
Yes, according to the Metropolitan Police. Police say they are still investigating Brand over two more alleged rapes involving two other women, and files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. Those are allegations under investigation only, and no charges have been brought in relation to them.
Sources
Reuters – Comedian Russell Brand found guilty by UK court of rape and sexual assaults
Reuters – Details of Russell Brand’s convictions
Reuters – The rise and fall of Russell Brand
Final Thoughts
The Russell Brand guilty verdict brings a long case to a clear point. A jury heard the evidence over three weeks, spent about eight and a half hours on its decision, and found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, while clearing him on three other counts. The judge has already said that a lengthy prison sentence is expected, and the exact term will be set on November 9, 2026. The next step is sentencing, and after that, the decision on whether any further charges will follow from the investigations still under way.
