Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assaults

Today (5th November 2026), Russell Brand was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape. Our thoughts and solidarity are with the survivors, including any who have felt unable to come forward, or for whom seeking justice doesn’t always mean reporting to the police, or a guilty verdict. 

We also stand with survivors everywhere who may be feeling the weight of media reporting and social media commentary on this case, with so much of the public discussion dominated by rape myths and victim-blaming.

Rape myths in the courtroom

We are concerned about rape myths and harmful narratives in the courtroom, which can influence attitudes and beliefs and block access to justice.

Survivors don’t report to the police for a multitude of reasons – the risk of being disbelieved or blamed, going through a traumatic, years-long justice process, or wanting to move on.

In this case we’ve seen the defence lean into tired tropes about rape and the need to ‘fight back’. In reality, many survivors freeze – our bodies can automatically respond in this way to keep ourselves safe.

We also saw character evidence in court, repeated in media reports, that Brand was a “kind and wonderful father”, when this has absolutely no relevance to the case and reinforces the myth that rapists are ‘monsters’ who lurk in alleyways, when in fact they’re more often the men in our everyday lives.

Institutional cultures mask and enable powerful perpetrators

Powerful perpetrators must be held accountable. But they don’t exist in a vaccum – there are institutions and individuals around them that enable abuse or are complicit in it through cultures of silence.These institutional cultures are found across the entertainment industry, media and beyond, and prevent survivors from accessing justice.

Rape is always about a perpetrator choosing to abuse power. When a perpetrator holds a particular position of power, wealth and status, they are often able to weaponise the law to silence survivors and the media through legal threats and NDAs. This adds to the barriers survivors face in reporting what happened and accessing justice and support.

Concerningly, Brand’s barrister attacked the press for a 2023 report in which victims talked anonymously about their experiences. A free press is critical for the health of our democracy and institutions.

Journalists must be able to report on key matters of public interest, which helps hold institutions and perpetrators to account and encourages other victims to come forward.

Support for survivors is available

If you have been affected by sexual violence or the reporting of this case, help is available.

We know how difficult it can be to be exposed to media reporting and social media commentary on rape cases, particularly when so much of the public discussion is dominated by rape myths and victim-blaming.

Rape Crisis’ support line is free and open 24/7. Call 0808 500 2222 any time of the day or night.

ENDS