Russell Brand gets 10 years, 6 months for rape and sexual assault
The 51-year-old comedian was sentenced Monday at Southwark Crown Court after a jury convicted him on four counts.
By Ryan Carter ·
Russell Brand will spend the next decade and a half in prison. The British comedian was sentenced to 10 years and six months on Monday in London. This follows a jury verdict last week that found him guilty on four charges.
Judge Justice Bennathan handed down the total sentence at Southwark Crown Court. Brand, who is 51 years old, was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted on the other three counts brought against him.
The convictions cover incidents that took place between 2004 and 2009. The jury found Brand guilty of raping a woman he met at one of his shows in 2009. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting three other women. Those assaults happened at a bar, a radio station, and a television studio.
Brand maintains that he never had non-consensual sex. He has denied all charges in the case. During the sentencing, he wore the suit he wore when he was convicted on Thursday. Witnesses in the courtroom described him holding a set of white rosary beads while victim impact statements were read.
Six women testified during the four-week trial. None of the complainants have been publicly named. The trial was not televised. Four of the women provided impact statements to the court before the judge delivered his ruling. Three of these statements were read by the prosecution. One woman read her own statement in person from behind a curtain.
The woman who accused Brand of anally raping her at his home in 2009 said the event is something she carries with every day. Her statement noted that she doubts her ability to make good decisions. She added that Brand's fame made her feel she would not be believed if she reported him.
A complainant who said Brand grabbed her breasts at a bar in 2004 stated that the confusion of what she should or could do stayed with her for over 20 years. Another victim, assaulted in 2005, said that hearing his voice on television made her jump. A fourth woman, assaulted at a TV studio, said she felt her working environment was unsafe afterward.
The prosecution cited aggravating circumstances in the rape case, including Brand removing a condom. The defense argued that Brand is a fundamentally different person than he was at the time of the crimes. The judge called Brand a sexual predator in his remarks. He paid tribute to the determination and bravery of the women who came forward. He then ordered Brand to be taken down to the cells.
