I’m tempted to reuse that blocked-out blind-item photo so I don’t have to look at Russell Brand’s ugly face today. Still, this post contains good news. Brand has been in and out of court in recent weeks because he had been criminally charged with rape and sexual assault, following a comprehensive British investigation. Today, Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault. Real consequences for these rancid predators is so rare these days, I don’t even know what to say.

Russell Brand has been found guilty of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others over the course of five years of his showbusiness career.

Brand, 51, was described during his trial as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator. He was accused of raping women in a hotel room, in a bar toilet and at his luxury London townhouse. He sexually assaulted women in front of his entourage at their workplaces, including at a radio station and TV studio.

The Hollywood actor turned online influencer was accused of gaslighting his victims after the attacks, and treating women as a “disposable commodity” and a “means to an end” to satisfy his voracious sexual appetite.

Brand stood outside the door of the dock shortly before the jury delivered their verdicts and looked at his wife, Laura, saying: “Laura, I love you.” Wearing a grey three-piece suit, he appeared to be praying in the dock before he was convicted of four offences on Thursday after a four-week trial at Southwark crown court.

He had pleaded not guilty to three charges of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault against six women, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999. Brand claimed he could not remember some of the incidents and that others had been consensual sexual encounters that had been “reimagined” or “unfavourably reframed” after the publication of sexual misconduct allegations against him in a 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, and Times and Sunday Times reports.

But Brand closed his eyes, as a jury found him guilty of four offences after eight hours and thirty minutes of deliberations. The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, praised the panel of four women and eight men, and told Brand: “You’ve been convicted of a numbers of offences, including one of rape. The consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term. My current view is that I have to therefore remand you in custody.”

He said Brand would be sentenced on Monday. Brand held his head high and appeared emotionless as he was led away by the dock officers down to the cells.

[From The Guardian]

This actually reminds me a bit of the Danny Masterson case – while Masterson was only convicted of a fraction of his crimes, the convictions were significant enough to put him in prison with a decades-long sentence. I hope that’s the case here, where this is the end of the road for Brand no matter what and this conviction will stand. I hope that Brand’s victims feel empowered and like they did the right thing by coming forward, because it was absolutely the right thing and they were believed.

Just a reminder, Brand has spent the past three years or so trying to rebrand himself into a politically conservative and religious commentator. I’m glad that sh-t didn’t stick either.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, RFK Jr’s social media.