Brand denied the charges but conceded that he was obsessed with sex as a young man.
By Catholics for Catholics
Russell Brand, the British actor and comedian, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, prosecutors said Thursday.
Brand was found guilty by a jury of one charge of rape and three charges of sexual assault after a four-week trial in London’s Southwark Crown Court. The cases of rape and assault happened between 2004 and 2009 and implicated four women, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
The 51-year-old actor and comedian was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. He was acquitted of two additional rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault, according to a story by the Daily Wire.
According to the Wire story, Brand is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Joel Bennathan on Monday—after the verdict the celebrity immediately was taken into custody, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors described him as a “ruthless, calculating, manipulative sexual predator,” the outlet reported.
All during the trial Brand rejected the charges. But he conceded to being obsessed with sex as a young man and having lived a hedonistic lifestyle, insisting he had never obligated anyone to do anything against their will.
Recently, Brand became candid about Christianity and often spoke about how he now finds joy in his faith and has moved on from his past life that was filled with drug and sex addiction.
The charges against Brande came from alleged instances between 1999 and 2009, The Daily Wire reported. England’s main prosecuting authority, the Crown Prosecution Service authorized charges against Brand after a Metropolitan Police probe.
The accusations involved four women and four separate incidents, according to the Wire story. A woman who said she was raped in the Bournemouth area in 1999; a woman who said she suffered an indecent assault in London’s Westminster area in 2001; a woman who reported being orally raped and sexually assaulted in Westminster in 2004; and a woman who alleged sexual assault in the same area between 2004 and 2005.
Involving eight men and four women at Southwark Crown Court, the jury deliberated for more than eight hours over two days.
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