A jury has convicted Russell Brand of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Brand, 51, will be sentenced on Monday.
An old remark by his ex-wife, Katy Perry, has now resurfaced after the verdict came on Thursday at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Piers Morgan wrote about it in an opinion piece for The Sun this week. He said Perry made it at a Vanity Fair party in Washington, DC, in 2013. The two were married for 14 months, and their divorce was finalised in 2012. Morgan says Perry told him she loved Brits, “not all of them – not Rasputin, obviously.” He took it as a jab at Brand.
Morgan described Rasputin as a manipulative, controlling monk who gained influence over Russia’s royal family. He says Brand heard about the nickname and was “thrilled.” He claims Brand called Rasputin a “pretty powerful bloke” who could “manipulate” people with his eyes.
Neither Perry nor Brand has confirmed Morgan’s account.
As for the conviction, it comes after six women gave evidence against Brand at trial. They told the court he pressured them into sex, sometimes within seconds of meeting. None of his famous friends or former colleagues spoke in his defense. The jury cleared him of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
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