Russell Brand has spent his first night in a cell after being convicted of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three women, with details of what he faced shared.
The comedian and actor was found guilty of groping another MTV worker during a party at a Soho bar in 2004 but not guilty of going on to orally rape her in a toilet, guilty of sexually assaulting a radio worker after encountering her in a corridor in 2005, guilty of raping a 21-year-old fan after meeting her at a 2009 stand-up show at the Hammersmith Apollo, and guilty of sexually assaulting a TV worker during a forced massage in 2009.
Brand was found not guilty of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and not guilty of trying to drag a MTV worker into a toilet to indecently assault her in 2001.
Verdict and Remand
Brand, 51, heard the jury’s verdict at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (November 5). He will spend the weekend in custody before he returns to the same court on Monday (November 9) to learn his prison sentence.
He was told by Mr Justice Bennathan that he now faces an inevitable and lengthy jail term.
Brand’s barrister, Ian Winter KC, lost his plea for Brand to be given bail over the weekend as an ‘act of humanity’ so that he could say goodbye to his children. The judge refused it through fears he would flee instead of returning to court. When he was remanded into custody, Brand replied ‘yes my lord’.
Before he heard the verdict, Brand told his wife Laura Gallacher ‘Laura, I love you’. When being led out of court, he mouthed ‘I’m OK’ several times to his lawyers.
First Night in Jail
It’s now been revealed that Brand was allegedly ‘petrified’ at the prospect of spending his first night in prison. According to reports, he is being ‘monitored around the clock’.
A source has told The Sun: "The first night for anyone in a jail is really daunting – and Brand was petrified. It will be a massive shock to the system to him and he will be monitored around the clock.
"All prisoners have to strip off in reception which is humiliating and a real wake-up call. He will be in prison-issue clothes and given a first-night pack, which will be a world away from what he is used to. All his cockiness will disappear as he takes in his new surroundings.
"But he will be relatively safe and watched around the clock by officers and banged up away from other inmates to start with."
Ongoing Investigation
During the trial, the senior detective who led the investigation into Brand said he believes that Brand continues to post a risk to women. Asked whether he believed Brand continued to pose a risk to women, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: "Yes, I do. I think he's got that position of power and trust and millions of followers."
Detective Superintendent Furphy noted that the investigation into the star isn’t finished, saying: "What I will say is, our work isn’t done. There is a live investigation still taking place."
He added: "I do think there’s a possibility that more women may come forward. What I would say, that if you’ve been a victim of rape or sexual offence by Russell Brand and you’ve not yet spoken to police then come forward."
