Russell Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a London jury on Thursday (Nov. 5).
The once-prominent actor, who saw success in comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek in the late 2000s and early 2010s, was convicted on a single count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Per the Associated Press, he was found not guilty on other rape and attempted indecent assault counts.
In April of last year, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Metropolitan Police had been given the go-ahead to formally charge Brand with rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault in connection with alleged offenses spanning from 1999 to 2005. Another wave of charges followed in December.
The actor-turned-YouTuber has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, arguing in an Instagram video last year that, while he “was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord,” he “never engaged in nonconsensual activity.”
Brand, whose brief marriage to Katy Perry came to a formal end back in 2012, took the stand at his criminal trial in October. He’s now likely facing a lengthy period behind bars, with sentencing slated for the top of next week.
Earlier this year, Brand became the subject of mockery on social media thanks to a viral clip of him searching fruitlessly for a specific Bible verse during an interview with a nonplussed Piers Morgan. The dead-air moment was highlighted amid skepticism over Brand’s recent pivot into sharing more religion-focused content.
