Russell Brand Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Rape & Sexual Assault

Russell Brand will spend more than a decade behind bars.

During a hearing on Monday at London’s Southwark Crown Court, the Forgetting Sarah Marshall star turned free-thinking Rumble streamer was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault.

Brand, 51, was convicted last week of anally raping a woman in 2009. He was also found guilty of three counts of sexual assault, including grabbing the breasts of an ex-MTV staffer in 2004 and putting his head in the groin of a former Channel 4 employee in 2009.

In sentencing remarks following the four-week trial, Mr Justice Bennathan described Brand as a “sexual predator,” and said his fame protected him until 2023, when Channel 4 and The Times of London published allegations about his conduct.

Bennathan pointed to Brand’s “staggering arrogance” in his treatment of women, and he admonished his associates for indulging his “dreadful behavior.” The remarks were broadcast live on Sky News on a 10-second time delay.

Brand has consistently maintained his innocence, telling the jury: “Consent is fundamental, essential, necessary, and in many ways more important than the sex itself.” He was cleared of three charges: Raping a woman in 1999, attempted indecent assault in 2001, and orally raping a woman in 2004.

Ian Winter, Brand’s barrister, had earlier pleaded for leniency in the sentencing. Winter said his client was of “good character” and that a long prison term would be a source of “catastrophic devastation to his family.”

Brand spent the weekend in Wandsworth prison after being remanded in custody last week because he was denied bail. Judge Mr Justice Bennathan said Brand was a man of “considerable resources” and there were “substantial grounds to fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence.”

A prison van delivered Brand to Southwark Crown Court on Monday, a marked change from his previous arrivals during the four-week trial, when he emerged from a blacked-out private car in sunglasses and buttoned-down shirts.

Earlier on Monday morning, Brand’s wife, Laura Brand, arrived in court. She gave evidence during the trial, describing her husband as “amazingly attentive” and “kind,” telling jurors: “I love him very much.”

Brand’s supporters also stood outside court, holding a banner that said: “Russell Brand, we stand with you. Christ was crucified for telling the truth. Russell is the truth.”

RUSSELL BRAND VERDICTS

Charge 1, Complainant 1: Rape
Complainant 1 alleged that she was raped by Russell Brand after meeting him on the fringes of the Labour Party Conference in 1999. C1 invited Brand back to her hotel room and alleged that he pushed her onto the bed and raped her. Brand, who was not famous in 1999, argued that the encounter was consensual.
Verdict: Not guilty

Charge 2, Complainant 2: Attempted Indecent Assault
Complainant 2, a former MTV employee, accused Brand of attempting to pull her into a toilet at the network’s London offices in 2001. During the trial, judge Mr Justice Bennathan reduced the charge from indecent assault to attempted indecent assault because there was “insufficient evidence” to support the original count. Brand’s defense was that he did not recall the incident, but denied that he attempted any non-consensual assault.
Verdict: Not guilty

Charge 3, Complainant 3: Sexual Assault
Complainant 3 alleged that Brand “lunged and squeezed” her breasts within minutes of their first meeting in 2004 while attending the birthday party of a TV producer at London’s Nordic Bar. Brand denied sexually assaulting Complainant 3, who worked at MTV at the time.
Verdict: Guilty

Charge 4, Complainant 3: Rape
Complainant 3 alleged that Brand grabbed her arm and dragged her into the toilets of the Nordic Bar. The woman claimed that Brand climbed onto the toilet seat, exposed himself, forced his penis in her mouth, and ejaculated. In his defense, Brand argued that Complainant 3 willingly accompanied him to the toilet, where they had a “kiss and a cuddle.” He denied orally raping the woman.
Verdict: Not guilty

Charge 5, Complainant 4: Sexual Assault
Complainant 4 alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Brand at a radio station in 2004 or 2005. She claimed that Brand “grabbed” her, pushed her up against a wall, and kissed her “sloppily and aggressively.” Brand denied the incident.
Verdict: Guilty

Charge 6, Complainant 5: Rape
Complainant 5 alleged that she was anally raped by Brand at his London home in 2009 days after meeting him backstage at his stand-up show, where she gave him consensual oral sex. Complainant 5 said they had consensual vaginal sex at his home,efore alleging that Brand turned her on all fours and unexpectedly penetrated her anally, removing his condom. Brand said the anal intercourse was consensual.
Verdict: Guilty

Charge 7, Complainant 6: Sexual Assault
A former Channel 4 employee, Complainant 6 alleged that Brand demanded a massage and put his head into the area of her genitals during a workplace incident in 2009. Brand told the court that he could not recall the incident.
Verdict: Guilty