Lisa Wilkinson has thrown her support behind the victims of Russell Brand, taking to social media to say the comedian has been “hiding in plain sight for years”.
“Please hold a place in your heart today for the survivors who so bravely came forward and faced the court process with enormous dignity and conviction,” she wrote.
“The enormity of the successful conviction of rapist Russell Brand cannot be underestimated.”
Brand has been found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
“This guy has been hiding in plain sight for years, as so many of these predators – often in positions of power, trust and influence – do,” Wilkinson wrote.
“[Brand was] predatory and used his celebrity status to commit sexual crimes,” David Roberts, the senior prosecutor, said outside court.
In the courtroom Brand reportedly closed his eyes when the conviction was read out. He was convicted of raping a fan in 2009 who was just 21 at the time of one of his Hammersmith Apollo performances.
Reports show that after the event Brand ordered the women to “clean up the mess you’ve made” before turning on the TV and watching the science fiction series, Quantum Leap.
Four guilty verdicts were returned while Brand was cleared of three more.
He was also accused of raping a 16-year-old girl.
Wilkinson praised the work of UK journalists at Channel 4, whose “work first brought these allegations to public attention”.
In 2024, Justice Michael Lee ruled in favour of Network Ten and Wilkinson in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case.
That case came about after allegations aired on The Project, in which Brittany Higgins claimed she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House.
Lehrmann alleged defamation by the broadcast, despite not being explicitly named.
In the end, the court found Lehrmann had raped Brittany Higgins on the balance of probabilities.
Brand, a born-again Christian, said he wore the “full armour of God” in court.
When he was remanded into custody he loudly exclaimed, “Yes, my Lord”.
Before being escorted from the docks he repeatedly said, “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good,” and made gestures of OK to his defence team.
Almost echoing Wilkinson’s sentiments, Justice Joel Bennathan acknowledged Brand has “considerable resources” and there were grounds to “fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence”.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website. In an emergency, call 000.
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