Judge sentences Russell Brand to 10 years, 6 months
The British comedian was convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults spanning five years.
By Pedro Barnes ·
Judge Justice Bennathan sentenced British comedian Russell Brand to ten years and six months in prison on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London. Brand, 51, faced the verdict after a jury found him guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The convictions cover incidents that occurred between 2004 and 2009. Brand was found guilty of raping a woman he met at one of his shows in 2009. He also pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting three other women at a bar, a radio station, and a TV studio during that same five-year period. The jury acquitted him on three of the seven initial counts.
Six women testified against Brand over four weeks of trial proceedings. None were publicly named, and the court did not televise the sessions. Before the judge delivered the sentence, four complainants provided victim impact statements. Three were read by the prosecution, while one woman read hers herself from behind a curtain in the courtroom.
The women described the long-term effects of the incidents. One complainant stated that the memory is something she carries with every day. Another noted that the confusion over how to react persisted for more than 20 years. A third said hearing Brand’s voice on television caused her to jump. The fourth explained that she felt her working environment became unsafe after the assault.
Brand denied all charges, maintaining that he never engaged in non-consensual sex. During the sentencing, he sat in the suit he wore on the day of his conviction, holding white rosary beads. His wife Laura and his father were present in the courtroom. The prosecution argued for a lengthy sentence, citing aggravating factors in the rape case, including Brand removing a condom. The defense argued that Brand is now a fundamentally different person from the time of the crimes.
In his ruling, the judge described Brand as a sexual predator. He paused to pay tribute to the determination and bravery of the women who came forward. The judge then ordered Brand to be taken to the cells.
