London police chief expects ‘many more’ complaints against Russell Brand

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) -- The chief of London's Metropolitan Police said Friday "many more" women might come forward with accusations against Russell Brand, after the disgraced comedian was convicted of rape and sexual assault. Brand, 51, was on Thursday found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults against four women following a high-profile trial, in which he was cleared of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault against two other women. He was remanded in custody and told by the judge he faced a "significant custodial term" at his sentencing on Monday. The comedian and Hollywood actor, who became a household name in the UK in the 2000s, also faces accusations of raping two other women, including a 16-year-old schoolgirl, which the Metropolitan Police is investigating. "There's two more cases we're investigating at the moment," Met police chief Mark Rowley told the BBC. "I clearly wouldn't be surprised if many more came forward." After the verdicts, the Met paid tribute to the "extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward". "Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women," the Met's Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement Thursday. Domestic abuse charity Women's Aid said "high-profile, influential men must be held accountable for their actions". "It should also be a wake-up call to broadcasters, and the media industry more broadly with whom Brand worked for so long," said charity head Farah Nazeer. - 'Culture and failings' - Once one of the country's most high-profile entertainers, Brand had a reputation for lewd humour and promiscuity, passing through major media organisations including the BBC, Channel 4 and MTV. The companies have come under pressure in recent years -- including in the wake of a 2023 joint investigation by Channel 4 and the Times into abuse allegations -- for allowing a culture of impunity and even encouraging Brand's behaviour. On Thursday he was found guilty of sexual assaults against an MTV worker, a Channel 4 worker and a Capital Radio employee, as well as raping a 21-year-old fan. After the verdicts, the BBC apologised again for the "culture and failings" when Brand was part of the organisation between 2006 and 2008. He left amid controversy for sending a well-known actor sexually explicit messages about having slept with their granddaughter. "Across the industry, we must work together to ensure that anyone who suffers at someone else's hand feels able to report it," a BBC spokesperson added. During this time, Brand openly spoke about being addicted to sex and was named "shagger of the year" three times in a row by The Sun tabloid. But his career was far from over, and he shot to global fame during his brief marriage with US pop star Katy Perry in 2010, and continued to make primetime appearances on British television shows. In recent years, he had rebranded himself as a Christian online commentator and guru to his millions of social media followers.