Russell Brand's wife, Laura Gallacher, smiled at her husband and mouthed "I love you" as the disgraced star appeared in court to be sentenced. The former comedian and actor, 51, appeared at Southwark Crown Court today (Monday, November 9), after being found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault last Thursday.
Brand was found guilty of raping a woman in 2009 and sexually assaulting three female television and radio workers between 2004 and 2009, during his showbiz career. Following the guilty verdicts, Mr Justice Bennathan ordered Brand to be remanded in custody immediately, where he has remained ahead of his sentencing hearing. The judge previously warned Brand to expect a "significant" prison sentence following the jury's decision.
Court hears victim impact statements
During today's hearing, the court is expected to hear victim impact statements from the women, alongside legal submissions from both the prosecution and defence, before the judge passes sentence. Ahead of Brand's arrival, his wife Laura was seen taking deep breaths as she waited in the courtroom. She held the hands of two women sitting either side of her as she prepared to see her husband appear in the dock.
Brand's dad, Ron Brand, wearing a trilby hat and wool coat, was also sitting in the same row as Ms Gallacher in the public gallery. Brand arrived in court at around 11.10am following a short delay. He confirmed his identity to the judge before turning towards the public gallery, where his wife was seated. Ms Gallacher smiled at him and appeared to mouth the words "I love you" through the glass of the dock. Brand was flanked in the dock by two security guards, one male and one female.
Trial details and convictions
A four-week trial heard how Brand preyed on women he encountered on his way to becoming one of Britain's best-known comedians, a lauded TV and radio host, and a Hollywood actor who was briefly married to singer Katy Perry. He claimed to have only ever had consensual sex during a "promiscuous" life, which he insisted had been packed with "idiocy" but never illegal.
But his victims told a different story, of a famous and powerful man who kissed and groped women within seconds of meeting them, pursued his sexual ambitions relentlessly, and laughed at and gaslit women after the attacks. Friends and former colleagues of Brand also came forward to give evidence of his ambition to sleep with 5,000 women, an "insane" sexual appetite, and his bad behaviour towards women being "normalised" as he became increasingly famous.
Brand was convicted by the jury of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009, after meeting her following one of his stand-up shows at the Hammersmith Apollo. Another woman told the court how her breasts were groped by Brand in the Nordic bar in Soho, just seconds after she had been introduced to him at a 2004 party. She recalled Brand's "weird" grin as he carried out the sexual assault, brazenly grabbing her in the middle of a packed bar.
In 2005, Brand kissed and groped a third woman during a visit to the Capital Radio studios in London, pouncing on her as she walked out of a room. She remembers looking to Brand's entourage for help but no one came to her aid, before she eventually managed to push the comedian away. Brand was also convicted of putting his head into the groin of a female Channel 4 worker, after she had been forced to give him a massage in 2009.
Brand, who claimed to be the victim of a media conspiracy, was convicted by the jury of rape and three sexual assaults, and cleared of two further charges of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
