Russell Brand sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for rape and sexual assault

Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault.

LONDON — Russell Brand was sentenced Monday to 10 and a half years in prison for raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others at a time when his debauched behavior was tolerated and celebrated during his rise to fame.

LEARN MORE: Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault

Judge Joel Bennathan denounced Brand’s “casual and arrogant disregard” for any woman who said no to him, and blasted him for the series of lies he told in his testimony denying the assaults dating back to 2004.

“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,” Bennathan said. “You were smart – and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”

Brand showed little emotion during the scathing rebuke. He uttered the words “everything will be fine” to his wife after getting up and being led away by court officers after the hearing.

The 51-year-old actor-comedian, known for his scandalous stand-up routines and provocative behavior on television and radio, as well as his battles with drugs and alcohol, had maintained his innocence and testified that all his encounters were consensual.

But a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of attacking four of the six accusers. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Prosecutor: Brand used his fame to commit crimes

The convictions – years after the #MeToo movement highlighted sexual abuse by powerful and famous figures – raised questions about how Brand’s behavior was tolerated by the television and radio networks he worked for, including the BBC, and those around him.

“Mr Brand abused the influence and power his fame gives him,” prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said. “He used it to facilitate access to women without whom the offense could not have taken place. It also fueled his own view that he could commit such offenses with impunity.”

Brand was supported by his wife, father and fans outside court

Brand wore a gray suit and open-collared shirt with a loose white tie. Her long, graying hair was pulled back and tied into a bun at the top of her head. He held a crucifix in his right hand.

Defense attorney Ian Winter urged the judge to consider Brand’s good character, saying his only prior conviction was for marijuana possession in 1995 and that he had done charitable work and helped others overcome their drug and alcohol abuse. He also asked the judge to consider the impact of the sentence on Brand’s family, particularly his three young children.

Brand was supported at Southwark Crown Court by his wife, Laura, and his father, Ron Brand. Laura entered the courthouse without Brand, who had been in custody since Thursday’s verdict.

Some of Brand’s supporters, reflecting his recent conversion to Christianity, held a banner bearing crosses with the words: “Russell Brand, we stand with you. Christ was crucified for speaking the truth. Russell is the truth.”

Victims tell court it was difficult to see Brand celebrated in public

The accusers came forward following a 2023 investigation by The Times and Channel 4 which aired accounts from women who claimed they had been sexually assaulted and degraded by Brand.

One of the women he was convicted of abusing spoke to the court about the trauma caused by the crime. The others provided statements read by the prosecutor.

A woman who Brand groped at a birthday party in a London bar in 2004 said the attack left her in shock and turmoil and made her feel like “damaged goods”.

“It was impossible to avoid seeing him all over the media, celebrated for his disgusting behavior towards women like it was a joke,” she said.

LEARN MORE: Russell Brand denies all accusations as he testifies at his rape and sexual assault trial

Brand stared straight ahead as she spoke behind a curtain that shielded her from public view to preserve her identity.

Bennathan said those around Brand may have referred to the sexual assault as “laddish,” the crude and obnoxious behavior that Brand was known for and thought he could get away with.

“It was outrageous and perhaps crude, but it was also a criminal sexual offense, and it turns out you didn’t get away with it,” the judge said.

Rape victim feels “helpless”

A former fan he was convicted of anal raping in her home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009 said she felt anxious and humiliated, had difficulty eating and sleeping, and went through periods of heavy drinking.

She said she spent months fearing she had contracted HIV and it took her years to speak out. She only came forward after police opened an investigation following the documentary.

“I felt like if I reported him, I wouldn’t be believed,” she said in the statement read by Karmy-Jones. “His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance that left me powerless.”

Winter, the defense attorney, argued that Brand should be “considered a man who went too far and exceeded the consent that had been given” following consensual sex.

The judge noted how Brand had treated the woman disrespectfully, including putting her in his phone contacts as “T” for “pie.”

A woman he was convicted of kissing and groping at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 said it had a lasting impact on her life.

“Since the sexual assault…Russell Brand has managed to move on and even forget,” she said. “Over the years, hearing his voice on television, on social media or seeing his image made me jump.”

Woman says she was silenced by ‘culture of the time’

The final conviction involved the sexual assault of a woman who said the comedian asked for a massage and pressed his face against her groin while recording a commercial in 2009.

“Immediately after the incident, I spoke up and, unfortunately, it was glossed over by senior management,” she said. “There was a culture at the time that made me feel like I should just move on and not talk about it anymore, which meant I didn’t give myself time to complain about it, I put it in a box and pushed it aside.”

Brand was acquitted of raping another woman in a hotel room at the Labor Party’s annual conference in the seaside town of Bournemouth in 1999, and of attempting to indecently assault a woman by dragging her into the men’s toilet at the London office of the music channel MTV.

The Associated Press does not name victims of alleged sexual violence and British law protects their identities from the media for life.

Brand, known for his daring stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, rose to prominence in the early 2000s hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.

In recent years, he moved away from mainstream media, moved to Florida and built a large online following with videos mixing wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious devotion.