Russell Brand may have begun trying to move one of his biggest assets six weeks before he was convicted of rape and sexual assault, the Daily Mail has discovered.
The fallen comic has applied to transfer the ownership of his £5million Oxfordshire cottage to his wife Laura Gallacher, 39, the mother of his three children, Land Registry documents suggest.
Brand’s multi-million pound fortune could face decimation after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault this week.
The 51-year-old is preparing to begin what a judge said would be ‘a custodial sentence of some length’ with his career in tatters – but is still worth at least £20million.
But in the wake of the criminal process, a swathe of civil law suits are expected to follow, threatening to deplete his fortune.
Throughout the criminal legal proceedings Brand maintained a haughty air of innocence for his adoring fans who flocked to Southwark Crown Court.
Brand sold the Crown Inn, near Henley, in October last year for £975,000 after his attempts to turn the 500-year-old pub into a private recording studio and office space failed
Brand, 51, pictured with his wife Laura Gallacher, 39, was convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault this week at Southwark Crown Court and faces a lengthy prison sentence
But Land Registry documents for his house near Henley-on-Thames suggest he was making provisions in case the jury found against him.
An application against the property, which cannot yet be fully examined, bears a reference number including the three letters ‘GAL’, which it is believed refers to Laura Gallacher who will receive ownership of the house.
The date of that application – September 15, 2026 – is exactly one month before the trial began.
Whether a legal transfer would in reality protect his assets from potential seizure by his accusers might be for a court to decide. Until any change is approved, the thatched building is registered solely in Brand’s name.
The property he bought for £3.3million in 2016 is now estimated to be worth almost twice that figure.
The sprawling six-bed riverside house features manicured gardens, a swimming pool and a private cinema, built after Brand and his wife spent £1million on doing it up.
But Brand took his family out of Oxfordshire at the end of 2024 shortly before he was charged with rape, reportedly renting a four-bedroom waterfront carriage house in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
Additionally, a nearby 500-year-old pub called the Crown Inn at Pishill which Brand bought in 2020 for £850,000, was sold in October 2025 for £975,000.
His attempts to turn the village pub into a private recording studio and office space were rejected by South Oxfordshire District Council following heavy opposition from local residents and CAMRA.
One resident opposing his scheme said ‘He’s a scoundrel, it’s as simple as that, I can’t stand the man.’
The property was owned via his business Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Limited, which unlike the family home has been co-owned by Laura since their marriage.
Prior to selling the old pub he and Laura shifted their registered address from the UK to the USA, where they set up home with their three children in Florida.
Earlier this year he quietly revealed he was to close Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Limited which also handled his fortune from a career in TV, Hollywood and online TV channels.
His assets in the company had slumped from £15.3 million to £3.96 – or more than £11 million in the 12 months to the end of 2025.
It had been used to manage fees from Brand’s output on platform’s like Rumble, live performances and merchandise sales. His YouTube channel was permanently ‘remonetized’ after the sexual abuse allegations were first aired in 2023, meaning he cannot use it to make money.
The closure of the company which began at the art of the year was seen as a sign that he was bracing for the financial impact of the trial.
He is also facing a US civil action stemming from the production of the film Arthur in 2010 where the complainant is suing for unspecified damages from the actor and comedian.
Overall the company had £3 million in reserves at the turn of the year – compared to £12 million at the same time in the previous year.
Brand’s now-defunct acting and broadcasting career, and subsequent transformation into born-again Christian and guru-like online philosopher, has given him consistent income, to the point he once boasted: ‘I don’t need to make any more money.’
However, he could face new rape charges within weeks after he was convicted of attacks on four women – and is facing civil litigation in the High Court over an alleged sexual assault, for which he could face a huge damages bill if found liable, as well as legal action in the US.
And his income is set to dwindle after Pan Macmillan said it would withdraw two of his self-help books from sale.
Matthew Claughton, managing director of Olliers Solicitors, told the Daily Mail today that Brand’s punishment would ‘not end when he walks out of prison’.
‘His victims could explore claims for damages arising from the sexual assaults, including compensation for physical or psychiatric injury and consequential financial loss,’ he said.
‘In my experience, this is very rare, less routine than the criminal proceedings and historic allegations can raise complicated limitations and evidential questions.
‘However, a criminal conviction plainly changes the landscape. Civil proceedings apply the lower balance-of-probabilities standard rather than the criminal standard of proof.’
Brand is currently based in the US – a situation that could be complicated upon his release. As a sex offender, he will be made to sign the sex offenders register, requiring him to tell police about address changes and foreign travel plans.
However, he could also be subject to a sexual harm prevention disorder that could stop him from travelling abroad at all while it is in effect. Even if he is able to travel, US immigration authorities may turn him away at the border.
Mr Claughton added: ‘The bigger picture is that while Brand’s prison sentence will be measured in years, the consequences could last far longer.
‘Registration requirements, police and probation supervision, court-imposed restrictions, international travel difficulties, reputational damage and potential civil claims could follow him long after his release. Prison is only the beginning.’
The comedian, guilty of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women at the peak of his career, is thought to be sitting on a £20million personal fortune earned from his rollercoaster career, and properties that add millions more to his wealth.
Much of this was filtered through Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm (PDLBF), a UK company he set up in 2006 for his media career earnings.
The firm made £7million in the years after he first faced sexual assault allegations.
He is thought to have earned millions from starring in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him To The Greek and the flop remake of 1980s Dudley Moore classic Arthur, often appearing alongside some of the biggest stars in the world.
But more recently, he has pivoted to a new career as a self-help guru, starting with his YouTube show The Trews, earning him a reported £1million from starry-eyed subscribers each year.
He gradually shed the image of the eccentric and promiscuous rogue he had cultivated in the 2000s, reinventing himself initially as a New Age spiritualist before pivoting to born-again Christianity, culminating in his bizarre River Thames baptism with Bear Grylls in 2024.
Brand’s online following surged as he stood trial, picking up nearly two million followers on Instagram, YouTube and video site Rumble, which acts as a platform for a number of right-wing commentators and political figures.
But YouTube cut off Brand’s share of ad revenue – known as demonetisation – after rape allegations surfaced in 2023.
After a four week trial Brand was found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday
His wife stood by her husband during his rape trial, accompanying him almost every day to court
Brand left Southwark Crown Court in a prison van on Thursday after appearing visibly shaken by the prospect of prison
He was then hosted by Rumble, where he charges $59.99 (£45) for ‘exclusive’ content on conspiracy theories, and religion and even his own trial.
One of his last videos saw him visibly shaken as the prospect of prison loomed over his trial.
In the recording on October 11 – the day before the jury was selected – his wife, who left the court in tears yesterday, read out a message from a supporter who told him that God would be with him in prison and that he would ‘get through it’.
Brand, who said he entered court wearing the ‘full armour of God’, tapped her on the shoulder and said: ‘I don’t like things where it’s like you might have to go to prison.’
He is said to make £20,000 a month from subscribers alone – and also earns a cut of advertising revenue from ads shown before his videos.
Elsewhere, Brand also offers subscriptions on Locals, a Rumble-owned community platform – where its 147,500 members have an option of paying $60 a year to speak with one another, and can leave additional tips.
On both platforms, fans are urged to visit Brand’s online ‘wellness’ retailer Reborn – where he flogs supplements including $49.99 mushroom ‘super coffee’ and $39.99 tablets containing ashwagandha, a plant used in traditional Indian medicine.
Each product is sold with the caveat that it is ‘not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease’.
Fans can also buy $35 t-shirts, hats and vests emblazoned with the ‘Reborn’ logo, which features a stylised crucifix.
The website features glowing testimonials from supposed buyers, all women, one of whom says: ‘God bless Russell for his witness to the transforming power of Christ’s love and mercy.’
However, Brand’s empire is in danger – threatened by the victims he raped and assaulted, who may decide to seek compensation.
Brand is also facing civil lawsuits in both the UK and the US over alleged sexual assaults that could see him landed with hefty damages payments should judges find in favour of claimants.
A civil claim was filed in the US in 2023 over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in 2010 while filming the movie Arthur, seeking unknown damages.
And another woman has launched civil proceedings at the High Court in London after claiming that he forcibly removed her dress, shoes and underwear, pushed her onto his bed and attempted to perform oral sex on her against her will.
Court submissions state the alleged assault happened at Brand’s Los Angeles mansion in 2008. The woman who has made the claim is seeking £100,000 in damages.
She reported the assault to the Metropolitan Police in 2025, but it was left out of Brand’s trial because English courts would have had no jurisdiction to prosecute on an incident on US soil.
Brand denies her claims, describing them as ‘fundamentally dishonest’ in a statement issued via his lawyers.
Convicted of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three women over five years, Brand was cleared of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
One of the rapist’s former associates, TV producer Jack Bayles, has been asked to step back from his current employer after the trial heard he had watched and laughed as Brand sexually assaulted one of his victims.
Brand, who has previously admitted he has led a promiscuous lifestyle, is pictured in 2007 with two burlesque dancers at the Brit awards, neither of whom were involved in the court case
Mr Bayles told The Times that he was ‘appalled and sickened’ by Brand’s actions and that he co-operated ‘fully and voluntarily’ with the Met’s investigation.
He also said he could not recall the incident – but acknowledged he had ‘clearly missed something at the time’, for which he was ‘sincerely sorry’.
The Metropolitan Police is also investigating two further allegations of rape. Brand has been interviewed under caution in connection with the offences, and files have been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Today, Met chief Mark Rowley said he would not be surprised if ‘many more’ alleged victims came forward.
While Brand’s professional career is finished, his income is unlikely to be cut off altogether, as some of his devotees refuse to believe that he is guilty.
One premium subscriber wrote underneath his most recent Rumble video: ‘So, I guess you’re not going to be posting anytime soon.’
