Russell Brand jailed for 10½ years for rape and sexual assault

LONDON: British comedian and actor Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Southwark Crown Court in London handed down the sentence, with the judge ordering that the 51-year-old must serve two-thirds of his term before he can be considered for parole.

A jury found Brand guilty last Thursday on four counts — raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009, groping an MTV worker at a party in a Soho bar in 2004, and sexually assaulting a Choice FM worker at the Capital Radio studios in 2005. He was cleared of two further counts of rape and one of attempted indecent assault.

Judge calls him a “sexual predator”
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Joel Bennathan told Brand that around 20 years ago, as he was becoming famous, he had “become a sexual predator”, and criticised his “staggering arrogance”. The sentence is made up of nine years for the rape, with 18 months, nine months and eight months for the three sexual assaults running concurrently with each other but consecutively to the rape term.

Brand stood largely still in the dock as the sentence was read out, clutching a crucifix, and mouthed “I love you” to his wife Laura as he was led to the cells. The trial, which began on 12 October, lasted around four weeks and heard testimony from six accusers. The Metropolitan Police say two further rape allegations against Brand remain under investigation.

An echo of #MeToo
The first reports against Brand emerged in September 2023, in a Channel 4 documentary and a Sunday Times investigation, after which more women came forward to police. The BBC, where Brand had worked since 2006, parted ways with him in 2008. Commentators say the verdict is the latest landmark in Britain’s #MeToo reckoning — a case that, like the Weinstein trials, has forced the entertainment industry to answer for what it once overlooked.