Russell Brand detective urges other potential victims to come forward after conviction

The lead detective in the Russell Brand case has urged other potential victims to come forward after the comedian was convicted at Southwark crown court on Thursday of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three women over five years.

Det Supt Andy Furphy, the Metropolitan police’s strategic lead in the investigation, described Brand, 51, as “a predator” whose behaviour escalated as his fame grew. Brand was cleared of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault after a four-week trial.

After the conviction, it emerged that Brand is under investigation for two further rape allegations and that the Met has submitted files to the Crown Prosecution Service. Police said he had been interviewed under caution in connection with allegations made by two women. “Files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to both complainants. Detectives remain in close contact with prosecutors as inquiries continue and further investigative work is carried out,” a spokesperson said.

Brand also faces a civil claim at the high court in London over an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman at his Los Angeles mansion in 2008. In court papers seen by the Guardian, the woman claims Brand forcibly removed her dress, shoes and underwear, pushed her on to his bed and attempted to perform oral sex on her against her will. She says she broke free and ran from the house, later suffering PTSD symptoms. Brand denies the claims, describing them through his lawyers as “fundamentally dishonest”.

The case was lodged last year but stayed until the criminal proceedings concluded this week. The Guardian understands it was not included in the trial largely because the alleged offence occurred in the US, meaning English criminal courts did not have jurisdiction.

Furphy said the Met’s investigation, named Operation Actinolite, had involved tracing and speaking to more than 100 witnesses, reviewing more than 1,400 documents and taking more than 340 statements. He said the inquiry was continuing and he believed there could be more victims.

“If you get a conviction then it tends to encourage other people to come forward because they see the courage and the bravery and the resilience that these women have had to go through this criminal justice process …” he told the Guardian. “So, yes, there may be more victims of Russell Brand out there, but for now our focus remains on the women that came forward.”

Furphy said Brand had abused his celebrity status to assault women who feared they would not be believed. “Russell Brand is a predator,” he said. “He preys on women and commits serious sexual offences against them. He’s in a position of power, a celebrity, he’s wealthy.”

He praised the women who gave evidence as “really courageous, brave and resilient”, saying they faced intense scrutiny from Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC. Brand gave interviews to Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Piers Morgan before the trial and continued podcasting throughout, which the detective said had taken a toll on the women.

Furphy said the case could be a “watershed moment” that inspires other victims of sexual offences to come forward. Pre-trial legal documents suggested there were outstanding charges against Brand in relation to a woman who made allegations in a 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary. She accused him of grooming her and sending a BBC car to bring her to him from the gates of her school when she was a 16-year-old pupil.

Brand is also facing a separate civil claim in the US filed in 2023 over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in 2010 while filming the movie Arthur. None of the victims in the criminal case have submitted compensation claims.

Source: The Guardian World.