Russell Brand's convictions renew spotlight on media — and a culture — that may have looked away

Brand was convicted Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving multiple women, and acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.

The BBC apologized for a culture of silence that it said prevented staff from complaining about Brand's behavior at its radio stations between 2006 and 2008.

A joint investigation by The Times and Channel 4 in 2023 aired accusations from women that brought forward evidence leading to Brand's conviction.

Brand resigned from BBC Radio 2 in 2008 after a prank phone call to actor Andrew Sachs claiming he had sex with Sachs's granddaughter.

2006-2008: Brand's behavior at BBC radio stations was tolerated and not formally challenged, according to the BBC's internal review. · 2008: Brand made a prank call to actor Andrew Sachs claiming he had sex with his granddaughter, leading to his resignation from Radio 2 and a record BBC fine. · 2009: An alleged sexual assault occurred involving a Channel 4 staffer during a project Brand worked on for the channel. · 2023: The Times and Channel 4 aired a joint investigation with accusations from women who said they were abused by Brand. · 2024: Channel 4 apologized to a former employee after finding it had not investigated a 2009 complaint against Brand. · Thursday: Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, and acquitted of other counts.

150,000 pounds BBC fine · 1 rape, 3 sexual assault convictions · 2 rape, 1 attempted indecent assault acquittals · 51 Brand's age · 8 complaints investigated by BBC

Jack Bayles, one of Brand's associates, said in a statement he did not recall the incident involving the former Channel 4 employee.