Russell Brand investigated over two more rape allegations after guilty verdicts

Russell Brand is being investigated over rape allegations made by two more women, it can now be reported, after a jury found the 51-year-old guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court in London.

The verdicts were returned by a jury of eight men and four women after a three-week trial. Brand was found not guilty of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. He was described in court as "ruthless" and a "sexual predator".

Det Supt Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police, who led the investigation, said more victims were likely to come forward, and that he hoped other women would draw "courage" and "confidence" from the guilty verdicts.

How the investigation began

Allegations about Brand's behaviour first emerged in the media in September 2023, when The Times, the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches programme jointly reported that four women had accused him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. He strongly denied the claims at the time. The investigation into other reports began soon afterwards, and reports were made to forces across the country.

The Met set up a dedicated team, called Operation Actinolite. Officers said they have taken more than 340 witness statements, including from Brand's former employers, ex-colleagues and associates. Hundreds of people were interviewed. One officer was assigned to read Brand's books, watch his stand-up routines and DVDs and listen to his podcasts to help build the case.

Katy Perry, the US singer married to Brand from 2010 to 2012, was not interviewed by police. Furphy said Brand had initially been "coy and quiet" in police interviews but became "bolder" as officers continued to question him.

Non-recent allegations

Furphy said Brand's high profile and the intense media scrutiny around him proved a challenge for officers. Another complexity was that the allegations were all "non-recent", the earliest dating back 27 years, which meant there was no CCTV and no forensic evidence.

Instead, police examined where the victims were at the time, who they spoke to in the aftermath and what other material could be reviewed. A former friend of Brand gave evidence for the prosecution, and a statement from the parents of one of the women was heard. Brand's former personal assistant told the jury about his "insane sexual appetite".

Brand was interviewed under caution four times, beginning two months after the investigation opened. In each interview he provided a prepared statement saying he did not recognise the complainants or recall the alleged incidents, and that any sexual activity would have been consensual. He answered "no comment" to officers' questions.

Charges were brought in early April 2025. He pleaded not guilty and denied further allegations of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault brought in July 2025. During the trial, the women gave evidence from behind a screen and at times cried.

Some said they had been left "haunted for years". Furphy said: "They are courageous, determined women and our focus has always been on them, not Russell Brand."

Source: BBC World.