For three straight years while he worked at BBC radio stations, Russell Brand was awarded a notable distinction by The Sun, Britain’s largest tabloid: “Shagger of the Year.”

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Brand’s convictions Thursday for rape and sexual assault have turned a spotlight back on the BBC and other media employers, renewing questions about whether bosses enabled his behavior or chose to look away. They also highlighted the ways in which his excesses were overlooked by the culture at large.

“When Brand was at his most famous, his wrongdoings were indulged or ignored by his employers and, to be fair, the public too,” Ann Olivarius, an attorney specializing in sexual misconduct, said in an email message.

The BBC apologized last year for a culture of silence that, it said, prevented staff from complaining about Brand’s behavior at its radio stations between 2006 and 2008 because they felt he was too powerful.

It reiterated that apology after his conviction.

“It was of great concern to us that some people felt unable to raise concerns about Brand’s behavior,” the BBC said Thursday in a statement. “We apologized to those impacted, for both the culture and failings at the time.”

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Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London’s Metropolitan Police called the conviction “a testament to the extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward and reported what happened to them.”

“Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women,” Furphy said. “As his profile grew, so too did his sense of entitlement.”

Of the eight complaints the BBC investigated, only one — that Brand had urinated in a cup in front of staff — had been made formally during his time at the stations. The review found it was “not dealt with effectively.”