The sexual assault case against Russell Brand, from the 2023 reports to his conviction

Prosecutors charged him in April 2025 with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and sexual assault involving four women;^[12] he pleaded not guilty,^[13] and new charges in December 2025 brought the number of alleged victims to six.^[14][15] Before the trial, Brand said in an interview that he had had "consensual sex" with a 16-year-old when he was 30, calling it "exploitative."^[16]

His trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in London in October 2026, with the prosecutor calling him a ruthless sexual predator.^[17] Six women testified,^[18] Brand denied all the charges on the stand,^[19] and his wife, Laura Brand, testified in his defense.^[20] His lawyers argued that a 2023 Channel 4 documentary had "poisoned the well of justice."^[21] The jury weighed seven charges^[22] and convicted him on four.^[23] Afterward, a TV producer said to have laughed during one of the assaults was dropped from BBC and Apple projects,^[24] and the comedian Katherine Ryan, one of the first to call out his behavior, said she felt "grief and relief."^[25]