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

Russell Brand, the British former comedian and actor, has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for raping a woman and sexually assaulting three more.

Handing down the sentence Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand told a series of lies throughout the trial, adding he had displayed a "casual and arrogant disregard" for women who said 'No' to him.

"About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous," Bennathan said. "You were clever — and in many people's eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator."

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He added, "Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say 'no' and to demand justice from criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Russell Brand, act without their consent."

Brand was supported in court by his wife, Laura Gallacher, and his father, Ron. He is expected to serve at least two-thirds of that sentence — around seven years — before being eligible for release.

Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault on Nov. 5. He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones called Brand a ruthless, calculating and manipulative "sexual predator" who treated women as a "disposable commodity."

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"Mr. Brand abused the influence and power that came with his fame," Karmy-Jones said. "He used it to facilitate an access to women without which the offending could not have taken place. It also fed his own view that he could commit such offenses with impunity."

Ahead of his sentencing, one woman, who was sexually assaulted by Brand in 2004 or 2005, told the court on Monday in her impact statement: "Russell Brand is a sexual predator who has no remorse."

Another woman, who was raped by the comedian in 2009 after meeting him at a comedy show in London, said she was "living with trauma." She said his fame made it "difficult to escape reminders of what had happened," BBC reported.

She said she was worried after the attack that she might have HIV, struggled to eat and sleep, took nearly three months off work and abandoned the career she had embarked upon. "Although the rape was 17 years ago, she still finds it affects her ability to form new friendships and to know when she can trust people," the judge said.

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A third woman who was assaulted by Brand while working on a Channel 4 documentary said that, following the attack, she felt like she had "lost my trust in people." Reflecting on the incident, she added: "I felt powerless in that moment."

Last week, Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News host, reacted to Brand's conviction in disbelief.

"I don't believe the charges, and I don't have to believe them just because a jury came through with the opposite conclusion," she said in a YouTube livestream.

The next day, in a comment on X, Elon Musk described Brand's conviction for offenses nearly 20 years old as a "crazy legal standard." England doesn't have a statute of limitations for rape or sexual assault.

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Brand became a household name in the U.K. in the 2000s as a comedian and broadcaster and had well-documented issues with drugs and alcohol. He went on to star in the movies Get Him to the Greek in 2010 and Arthur the following year.

He married singer Katy Perry in October 2010, but Brand filed for divorce in December 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in July 2012.

The claims against Brand were made by six different women, spanning from 1999 to 2009. None of the women knew each other, but came forward to police following a TV documentary and press reports in 2023, in which anonymous allegations were made by other women.

During the trial, the court heard tearful testimony from the six accusers, who are all entitled to lifelong anonymity.

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According to the Associated Press, the convictions included a rape that took place in 2009, involving a woman who went to Brand's home after meeting him at one of his shows. She said she had engaged in consensual sex, but that Brand then raped her and removed a condom in the process.

Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman when he grabbed her breasts at a London bar in 2004.

He was also found guilty over an incident in 2009, in which he demanded a woman give him a massage in front of two of his colleagues and then put his head in her groin.

A third complaint of sexual assault ended in a guilty verdict when Brand was found guilty of pushing a woman who worked at a radio station up against a wall and forcibly kissing her.

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Brand denied the charges and said he had never forced anyone to do something against their will.

Footage released by London's Metropolitan Police Service after the verdict shows Brand being interviewed by police in December 2023.

"As I've repeatedly stated publicly and written about extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I've spent years openly denouncing," Brand can be seen saying. "I've never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity."

He said he did "not recall the names" of the complainants, or meeting them, adding, "However, it's entirely possible that I may have encountered them and we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact that's been since reimagined."

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Following the verdict, the Metropolitan Police Service told Yahoo that Brand, 51, was facing further allegations of rape from two women.

"The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations," the force said. Brand has not been charged in relation to these claims.

The head of the Met Police, Mark Rowley, has urged any other victims of Brand to contact the police. "There's two more rape allegations that we're looking at. We're encouraging anybody else to come forward if there's any other allegations," he told reporters on Nov. 6.

He later said that he "wouldn't be surprised if many, many more come forward. … This shows that powerful people can be brought down so you are safe stepping forward and we will support and try and bring that person to justice."

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