Russell Brand, 51, was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a fan in 2009 and sexually assaulting three other women over five years during the peak of his career. The sentencing took place at Southwark Crown Court, where he received a 10-and-a-half-year term.
Anniversary Gift That Disturbed Fans
On the first anniversary of his wedding to Laura Gallacher, whom he married in 2017, Brand shared a video on X, then known as Twitter, that fans described as "creepy" and "terrifying." In the clip, he sang a song titled Inside of You, performed by his character Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, written by Jason Segel.
Brand sang: "Old as ancient skies, I've had these wandering eyes, but you took me by surprise, when you let me inside of you. Inside of you, inside of you, I long to be; is it wrong to be inside of you? Inside of you, inside of you. Happy anniversary, Laura. Thanks, Jason, for that song. Bye."
The post, shared on August 26, 2018, drew immediate reactions. One fan commented: "It's all about sex with him, very creepy. She is certainly feeding him well when he isn't inside her; fat and scruffy, no other woman will want him now." Another wrote: "You are such an a*s." A third replied, "Creepy." A fourth commented: "Just a wee bit terrifying no matter which way you look at it." A fifth typed: "Clearly missing something here. Creepy!"
Court Proceedings and Convictions
Gallacher arrived at court earlier in the morning to support her husband, sitting to the front right of the dock behind Brand's father, Ron, before being instructed to move to the public gallery. She watched as Brand was sentenced.
Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting an MTV worker at a Soho bar, a woman at the Choice FM studios, and a Channel 4 worker who had been forced to give him a massage. He denied all allegations throughout the trial.
He was found not guilty of an attempted indecent assault offence after being accused of grabbing a woman's arm and pulling her towards a toilet in 2001 in central London. He was also found not guilty of orally raping a woman in a toilet at a bar in London, an incident alleged to have occurred while they were at a birthday party together in Soho.
