Russell Brand Faces Two More Rape Inquiries After Guilty Verdict

Russell Brand is under investigation over two further rape allegations, police revealed after a jury convicted the comedian of rape and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court in London. The detective who led the case says more women may now come forward.

The Metropolitan Police said files on both complainants have been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. Brand, 51, was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, according to the BBC and The Guardian. Warning: this article contains details of sexual violence.

What the verdict and the new inquiries mean

A jury of eight men and four women cleared Brand of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. The BBC reported the trial lasted three weeks, while The Guardian said four weeks; reports differ.

The Guardian reported that Brand has been interviewed under caution over the two further rape allegations. A Met spokesperson said detectives remain in close contact with prosecutors as inquiries continue. No charging decision has been announced.

The Guardian also reported that Brand faces a civil claim at the high court in London. It accuses him of sexually assaulting a woman at his Los Angeles mansion in 2008. Brand denies the claim, according to the paper, which said he also faces civil claims in the U.S.

How the case developed

• September 2023: The Times, the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches jointly reported that four women had accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. He strongly denied the claims. The police investigation began soon after, according to the BBC.
• Late 2023 and after: The BBC reported that Brand was first interviewed under caution two months into the inquiry, then twice more. Each time he gave a prepared statement saying he did not recognize the complainants or recall the incidents, and that any sexual activity would have been consensual. He then answered "no comment" to questions.
• Early April 2025: Brand was charged with one count of rape, one of oral rape, two of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The last was later changed to attempted indecent assault at trial. He later pleaded not guilty.
• July 2025: After a fourth interview, he was charged with one more count of rape and one more of sexual assault. He denied those too.
• Oct. 14, 2026: The trial began. The complainants gave evidence from behind a screen while Brand listened from the dock, the BBC reported.
• Thursday: The jury returned its verdicts.

What the lead detective said

Det. Supt. Andy Furphy, who led the investigation, called Brand a predator and said his offending escalated as his fame grew. He told The Guardian that Brand was less likely to be challenged the more famous he became, and that he has now been held to account.

Furphy said the investigation is live and that "Our work's not done." He urged anyone who has been a victim of Brand and has not yet spoken to police to come forward. He said specially trained officers would listen and support them. He declined to comment on any outstanding inquiries.

He told the BBC it is likely that other women will come forward, drawing courage from what happened in court. He told The Guardian the case could be a "watershed moment" for victims of other people from what he called the lad culture of that period.

Why it matters: what this means for victims and the case

For potential victims, police are signaling that reports are still being taken. Furphy said the Met has dedicated, specially trained staff. For Brand, the convictions are not necessarily the end of legal action: two rape inquiries are with prosecutors, and the civil claims are separate from the criminal case.

Furphy said the allegations were all non-recent, with the earliest dating back 27 years. That meant there was no CCTV or forensic evidence. Officers instead looked at where the women were at the time, whom they told afterward and what other material might support their accounts.

The Met's inquiry, called Operation Actinolite, took more than 340 witness statements, according to both outlets. The Guardian reported it also involved more than 100 witnesses and more than 1,400 documents. The BBC said hundreds of people were interviewed.

Pressure during the trial

Furphy told The Guardian that Brand's interviews with Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Piers Morgan before the trial, and his continued podcasting, took a toll on the complainants. He said Brand went right up to the limit of what is acceptable during a live trial without crossing it.

He described the cross-examination by Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, as extremely uncomfortable at times. He also said the offending has had a lasting effect on how the women trust other people.

What happens next

The Crown Prosecution Service will consider the files on the two further rape allegations. The civil claim at the high court in London is also pending. Furphy said the police investigation continues.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by BBC News, The Guardian