LONDON: British comedian Russell Brand has been jailed for 10 years and six months after being convicted of rape and sexual assault against four women.
Passing sentence at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Monday, Judge Joel Bennathan described the 51-year-old as a “sexual predator” whose celebrity status had long shielded him.
Bennathan said Brand had acted with “staggering arrogance” and shown “contempt” for his victims, who suffered lasting harm.
“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous, you were clever, and in many people’s eyes you were funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator,” Bennathan said.
The judge said Brand’s status protected him until he was exposed in 2023 by journalists from The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, prompting victims to report him to police.
Bennathan commended the “determination and bravery” of the women, adding that Brand had repeatedly acted “how you liked and when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live”.
Brand showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down. His wife Laura Gallacher, with whom he has three children, slumped in her seat in the public gallery.
Brand told Gallacher, “we’ll be OK”, before officers led him to the cells.
A jury convicted Brand last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault committed between 2004 and 2009. The offences involved an MTV worker, a Channel 4 worker, a Capital Radio employee, and a fan.
He was cleared of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault. London police said Brand faces further investigations following allegations of rape by two more women.
During the hearing, Brand held prayer beads and made the sign of the cross as a victim read her impact statement from behind a screen.
She said she remained traumatised after being assaulted by Brand at a London bar in 2004.
“For many years as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke,” she said in court.
“Celebrated”
A second woman, who was raped by Brand in 2009 at age 21 after meeting him at a show, said she initially feared she would not be believed.
“His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless,” she said.
Brand had denied the charges in court, though he acknowledged being “extremely promiscuous” and using his fame to secure sexual partners.
The media organisations that employed Brand now face mounting scrutiny over their workplace culture during his tenure.
The BBC, where Brand hosted a radio show between 2006 and 2008, apologised last week for its past failings. Brand left the broadcaster in 2008 after broadcasting sexually explicit prank calls to an actor about the actor’s granddaughter.
‘Wake up call’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said men in power were still exploiting women across the media industry, describing the case as a “wake-up call”.
Outside court, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said the sentencing marked a milestone in holding Brand accountable, praising the victims’ bravery in revisiting traumatic events.
Brand’s father Ron Brand told reporters his son was strong and would manage in prison.