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More women likely to come forward, says detective who led Russell Brand investigation

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Detectives built the case under Operation Actinolite, which launched following media reports published in September 2023. Officers gathered over 340 witness statements and reviewed archival media footage because the non-recent nature of the claims left no forensic or CCTV evidence. Throughout his interviews, Russell Brand submitted prepared statements asserting consent before answering subsequent questions with no comment. Police leaders now expect the outcome of the three-week trial will encourage other potential victims to speak out.

Key points

  • Police anticipate the recent convictions will encourage more women to report alleged sexu…: Police anticipate the recent convictions will encourage more women to report alleged sexual offenses involving the entertainer.
  • Investigators secured convictions despite facing significant hurdles, including a complet…: Investigators secured convictions despite facing significant hurdles, including a complete lack of forensic or CCTV evidence spanning up to 27 years.
  • The defendant consistently maintained that all sexual encounters were consensual while of…: The defendant consistently maintained that all sexual encounters were consensual while offering no-comment responses to further police questioning.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

- Published

Warning: Details of rape and sexual assault

More victims of disgraced comedian Russell Brand are likely to come forward now that he has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault, the detective who led the police investigation has said.

Det Supt Andy Furphy, from the Metropolitan Police, said he hoped other women would gain "courage" and "confidence" from the guilty verdicts.

Brand has been found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault by a jury of eight men and four women at Southwark Crown Court, following a three-week trial. He was found not guilty of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Brand is being investigated over further rape allegations made by two women, it can now be reported.

'Ruthless'

Brand had initially been coy and quiet in police interviews, said Furphy, but became bolder as officers continued to question him.

"As he gets used to something, he becomes more emboldened by it," Furphy said. "You can certainly see that in his offending."

Hundreds of people were interviewed…

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