Bear Grylls on Russell Brand verdict: 'justice has now been served'

Bear Grylls has said 'it is right that justice has now been served' after Russell Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, Nov 5. The Express Tribune dates Grylls's post to Nov 6; the court story was first reported on Nov 5. Grylls, per Deadline, wrote it to his 1.4 million followers on Twitter.

Who says what

According to BBC News, a jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after a four-week trial and eight and a half hours of deliberation. He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. The Guardian reports the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, told Brand the consequence was 'inevitably a significant custodial term' and remanded him in custody.

Per the Press Association copy carried by Nation.Cymru and the Manchester Evening News, Grylls also wrote that Brand's faith 'seemed genuine to me at the time when I was a guest at his private baptism'. He added that he has attended a few baptisms, including in prisons, and that 'judgement is for the courts and God'. Deadline and the Express Tribune report the same wording.

"It is right that justice has now been served. I can’t imagine how hard this time has been for the victims, the heroes of the day."

Bear Grylls, on Twitter, as reported by Nation.Cymru (Press Association)

The response

Brand denied the charges throughout the trial, per the Express Tribune, and told police he had never engaged in non-consensual activity, per BBC News. His father, Ron Brand, told the BBC he was 'bemused and shocked' by the verdicts. No public response from Brand or his representatives to Grylls's statement was found in the reports read.

What happens next

BBC News and The Guardian say Brand returns to Southwark Crown Court on Monday for sentencing; the Express Tribune gives the date as Nov 9. BBC News and The Guardian also report that the Metropolitan Police is investigating two further rape allegations against him. No charges on those were reported in the documents read.

Backstory

Per The Independent in May 2024, Brand thanked Grylls on video for standing beside him at his baptism in the Thames, and Grylls told the Daily Mail it was a 'privilege to stand beside anyone when they express a humble need for forgiveness and strength from above'. That was months after The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches published allegations against Brand in 2023, which he strongly denied. The pair had hiked the Hebrides together on Running Wild with Bear Grylls.

"So Russell Brand was baptised in the Thames, and all his sins were washed away. Cheaper than a lawyer, I suppose."

Marina Hyde in The Guardian, as quoted by Deadline

As of Nov 6, 9:49 AM ET, the verdict is on record: four convictions and three acquittals, with Brand remanded in custody. Grylls's statement is confirmed by four outlets quoting the same words. Sentencing is due Monday, and the two further Met investigations remain open, with no charge reported.