Russell Brand was sentenced Monday to 10 years and six months in prison after a London jury convicted him last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Judge Bennathan told the court he would follow sentencing guidelines, but said Brand “committed sexual offenses against a number of women” and that reducing the sentence “would not do justice to the overall gravity” of his conduct. Brand was taken into custody immediately after the verdict, according to the BBC.
Prosecutors had accused Brand, 51, of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009. He was acquitted of two rape charges and the attempted indecent assault charge. He denied all allegations throughout.
One of the women he was convicted of assaulting gave an impact statement at Monday’s hearing, speaking out of view of the courtroom to protect her identity.
“For many years as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behavior against women like it was all a joke. There were many times I felt visibly sick at the sight of him parading around thinking he can get away with anything.”
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones read written statements from three other women to the court. One, assaulted by Brand at a London radio station in 2005, wrote:
“Since the sexual assault … Russell Brand has managed to move on and even forget. Over the years, hearing his voice on television, on social media or seeing his image made me jump.”
According to Sky News, Brand told the jury he had been “reckless” and had used his fame to pursue sexual relationships, but maintained every encounter was consensual, calling consent “fundamental, essential and necessary.” He has never admitted to forcing any woman into sexual activity against her will.
The alleged incidents, described in testimony, took place at a hotel, a bar, a radio station, a workplace and Brand’s home. The Metropolitan Police opened its investigation after Channel 4 and The Sunday Times jointly published allegations against Brand in September 2023, including a documentary titled “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight” and a lengthy Times investigation containing anonymous complaints of physical and emotional abuse, bullying and sexual assault.
Police video released Nov. 5 and obtained by Fox News Digital shows Brand being questioned by Metropolitan Police detectives in December 2023. Reading a prepared statement alongside his attorney, Brand said:
“As I’ve repeatedly stated publicly … I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I’ve spent years openly denouncing. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity.”
He also called the 2023 media investigation “defamatory and fictitious,” arguing that consensual encounters had been “invented or reimagined” as misconduct.
In a video posted to X last year before his trial, Brand thanked supporters and criticized the British government and legal system before addressing the charges directly:
“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
He added that he was “incredibly grateful” for the chance to defend himself in court.
