Russell Brand sentenced to 10 years and six months for rape and assault

Conviction and sentence

Russell Brand, the 51-year-old British comedian and actor who was once married to the singer Katy Perry, was found guilty on Thursday, 5 November, after a four-week trial at the Southwark court in London. He was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women, offences that prosecutors said took place between 2004 and 2009. The court acquitted him of two further rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand has denied all the charges and maintains that he never had non-consensual sexual relations.

On Monday, 9 November, Judge Joel Benathan sentenced him to 10 years and six months in prison. The judge described Brand as a sexual predator, pointed to what he called incredible arrogance, and said Brand had told many lies during the trial, including the claim that he had never touched a woman without her consent. Under the sentence Brand will serve two thirds of the term before he can be released on licence.

Victims and the courtroom

Six women made allegations against Brand, and four of them saw him convicted on counts involving them. A woman he raped in 2009 told the court, in a statement that prosecutors read out, that the attack is something she carries every day and often seems to have no end. Other complainants described incidents they said had shaped their personal, professional and emotional lives. Brand's lawyer, Ian Winter, argued that his client is essentially a different person today, pointing to Brand's public account of overcoming alcohol and drug addiction and his newer Christian faith.

Prison and further allegations

Brand is being held at HMP Wandsworth, a high-security prison in London. Page Six reported that prisoners there spend almost the whole day locked in their cells and have only one hour outside them. A solicitor at Sahota & Sahota Solicitors expects Brand to remain at Wandsworth for the coming weeks before a transfer to another prison, and named overcrowding and staff shortages as the prison's biggest problems.

The Metropolitan Police announced on Tuesday, 10 November, that Brand is under investigation for two further alleged rapes, one of them against a girl who was 16 at the time. The force said many people had contacted its investigation team since the trial began to give information or report possible offences, and that officers were assessing this material as part of ongoing inquiries. The police told Sky News that the two further allegations came from two more women. In the week of 2 November the force's commissioner said he would not be surprised if more allegations came to light.

Former partner's account

Jemima Goldsmith, a 52-year-old television producer and daughter of the late billionaire Sir James Goldsmith, wrote on social media on Monday, 9 November, that she had contacted the police about a row at her home in 2014 but did not make a formal complaint. In a longer statement she accused Brand of violence, coercive control and abuse, and said police had to be called to remove him from her house after a violent incident in 2014. She chose not to pursue legal action at the time because she was worried about publicity for her children, who were teenagers then. Goldsmith said she has had no contact with Brand since 2014, that she assisted journalists who investigated the allegations, and that she would be prepared to give evidence in any civil claims. She wrote that she felt relief that Brand was finally facing justice.