Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said on Friday he would not be surprised if many more women come forward with allegations against Russell Brand, after the 51-year-old entertainer was convicted at Southwark Crown Court.
A jury found Brand guilty on Thursday of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others in incidents between 1999 and 2009. He was cleared of two other rape charges and of attempted indecent assault. Brand was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Monday.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Sir Mark said officers are looking into two additional rape complaints against Brand, one of them from a 16-year-old schoolgirl. Brand has already been questioned under caution about those allegations.
"There’s two more cases we’re investigating at the moment. I clearly wouldn’t be surprised if many more came forward," he said, according to BBC News.
Sir Mark added that high-profile convictions often produce a surge in reporting, because complainants see that they will be taken seriously. "It does make a difference because people see it is possible, and you will be believed," he told Times Radio, the Independent reported.
The commissioner said some of what he heard reported from the trial was "getting very close to victim blaming." He was speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He was asked about a line of questioning used by Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC. The defence lawyer had pointed out to the jury that no complainant fought back, screamed or attempted to walk away.
Sir Mark backed Claire Waxman, the Victims’ Commissioner, who is pressing for the Courts and Tribunals Bill to require that judges warn juries against rape stereotypes and false assumptions in all rape trials.
"People fall into myths about how a rape victim must behave in a certain way, must react in a certain way," Sir Mark said, according to the Guardian. "The evidence is really clear. Some people will fight. Some people will freeze. Some people will tell people straight away. Some people bottle it up for years. There isn’t one way of reacting."
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who led the investigation, said he hoped the guilty verdicts would give other women "courage" and "confidence" to come forward, BBC News reported.
Brand, who became famous as a comedian and television presenter before turning to online broadcasting, displayed little emotion as the verdicts were read. Mr Justice Bennathan told him he should expect "a significant custodial term."