Katherine Ryan has described a complicated emotional response to the Russell Brand verdict, saying she feels both grief and relief after a jury convicted the comedian of rape and sexual assault.
Speaking on her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, Ryan said the outcome left her feeling dysregulated and caught off guard. She expressed admiration for the women who gave evidence, noting that they came forward despite Brand’s fame, wealth and large fanbase.
A nuanced reaction
Ryan stressed that she would never celebrate another person’s downfall. She acknowledged that some justice had been achieved but said the relief was accompanied by sorrow. The fact that a serious crime was proven in court, she added, means that a serious crime did happen.
She also said her thoughts were with people who have been hurt and who will continue to carry that harm, regardless of the legal outcome.
Ryan had previously described a “predator” in the entertainment industry during an interview with Louis Theroux. In 2022, she said she could not name the man because of legal risks, but she mentioned confronting him on a television programme. It was widely speculated that she was referring to Brand and their appearance on Roast Battle in 2018, though she did not confirm this.
The conviction and sentencing
Brand, 51, was found guilty on Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two other rape charges and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
He is due to be sentenced on Monday. The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, told him to expect a significant custodial term.
On her podcast, Ryan also voiced concern about what might follow the verdict. She said Brand had spent years convincing an audience that the claims against him were invented by the establishment, and that he had cast himself as a martyr. She worried that some of his supporters still see the survivors as the villains.
Questions about enablement
Lorraine Heggessey, a former controller of BBC One, questioned how Brand was able to get away with his behaviour for so long. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, she asked why nobody intervened and why senior executives who worked with him did not call time.
She suggested that people around him were partly mesmerised, that he seemed cool for a period, and that he had charisma. He also brought in a young audience, which many broadcasters want, she added. He hid in plain sight, she said.
Further allegations under investigation
Police have said Brand is being investigated over further rape allegations made by two women. Details from a pre-trial hearing at Southwark Crown Court indicate that one of the women was 16 at the time and appeared in a Channel 4 documentary.
In September 2023, four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse in a joint investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times. Brand denied the allegations. None of the women in that media investigation were complainants in the criminal trial.
The Metropolitan Police said Brand had previously been interviewed under caution in relation to the further allegations. During an October pre-trial hearing, Brand tried unsuccessfully to have the case thrown out, with his lawyers arguing that publicity would prevent a fair trial. Prosecutors opposed the application.
At that hearing, Riel Karmy-Jones KC said that of the four women in the Channel 4 documentary, two concerned events outside the jurisdiction, one did not disclose any offence, and the other was being investigated. Prosecutors also said it was plainly incorrect to claim there had been a decision not to investigate.
Sir Mark Rowley, head of the Metropolitan Police, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he would not be surprised if more people came forward. He also said that what he heard reported from the trial came very close to victim blaming.
Reaction from Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls, the adventurer and television host, spoke about baptising Brand in the River Thames in 2024. He said Brand’s faith had seemed genuine to him at the time and that he had attended a few baptisms with him, including visiting prisons with people who have committed terrible crimes.
Grylls said he attended as part of his own faith, which calls him to love and serve anyone, and that the sick need healing. He added that judgment belongs to the courts and God, and that he would not discourage someone from coming to faith. He said it is right that justice has now been served and that he cannot imagine how hard the time has been for the victims.
