The Russell Brand rape trial in London ended with a guilty verdict, but the proceedings did not include testimony or argument about his brief marriage to Katy Perry. Prosecutors confirmed why that chapter of his life was left out of the case.
Prosecution Kept 2010 Marriage Out of Opening
Brand was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two other rape counts and one count of indecent assault.
Lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC addressed the omission in a pre-trial submissions statement. She said the prosecution recognized that matters after 2009 involving Perry could be sensitive, and the same applied to Brand’s earlier faiths. The prosecution was willing to remove those subjects from its opening.
Perry Was Not Asked for a Witness Statement
Perry, the Grammy-nominated singer, did not provide a witness statement during the police investigation into Brand. She was not involved in the investigation or the trial in any way.
The allegations at issue covered events between 2004 and 2009, the same year Brand and Perry began dating. The two married in 2010, and their divorce was finalized in 2012.
Brand did briefly refer to Perry while testifying. He described reaching what he called staggering fame during that period of his life.
Sentencing Set for Monday
After the verdict, Judge Joel Bennathan told Brand he intended to impose a significant custodial sentence and denied him bail. Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 9.
Brand has three children with his wife, Laura Brand. In recent years he has become known as a right-wing Christian influencer. He has acknowledged his faith while denying the allegations against him.
In a 2025 video posted to social media, he prayed that anyone he had harmed during what he described as years of mindlessness and sin would be healed, and that the truth of who he is would be revealed.
Perry Has Spoken About the Divorce's Emotional Toll
Perry has been open about how the relationship affected her after the divorce was finalized. She told The Sunday Times that her self-worth had been in someone else’s hands, which she called never a good idea because it can be taken away at any time. She said it was taken and shattered, but that she no longer allows that to happen.
Perry is now a mother to a 6-year-old daughter with her ex, Orlando Bloom.
Requests for comment to Brand’s attorneys and to representatives for Brand and Perry were not immediately answered.
