Offbeat | Tommie McDonald

Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault. I'm shocked because I was certain he would get away with his crimes. The fact that Brand is a rapist was an open secret on the British comedy circuit. A friend of mine knows one of his victims. One of the things I learned over the last few years is how many people in the entertainment industry are good, decent people and how many are compromised by their own desire for power, money and clicks. Francis and I shared what we knew about Brand with people who were thinking of working with him and many of them immediately recognised we were telling the truth and stopped any association with him. Others, not so much. This is even more true of his former employers like Channel 4 and the BBC. I am not saying everyone at those organisations knew but many people definitely did and they not only didn't say anything, some of them actively protected him. I hope the verdict today brings closure and peace to his victims and serves as a reminder to powerful people who abuse their position to take advantage of others that they won't get away with it forever.