Russell Brand winked and nodded at his wife, Laura Gallacher, and members of his entourage in court as he faced sentencing after being convicted of rape and sexual assault. The comedian clutched a crucifix as his sentencing hearing was adjourned for lunch.
Brand was also observed mouthing to his wife, making the sign of the cross, clutching a crucifix and offering a prayer as the court heard testimony regarding the impact on his victims.
Lawyer links offending to fame
Prior to the break, the court heard from his legal team how Brand's conduct was directly linked to his celebrity status. Defence barrister Ian Winter KC told Southwark Crown Court in mitigation that Brand rose to fame rapidly and that this notoriety had a significant impact on his behaviour.
Winter stated that Brand "started to become very famous and then extraordinarily famous, and we would invite your lordship to conclude that his behaviour for these offences is connected and the consequence of that level of fame." He also highlighted that the final offence "happened very shortly after he met Katy Perry", reports the Daily Star.
Victim impact statements
The court received accounts from victims detailing the full extent of Brand's conduct. One woman described how she was sexually assaulted and coerced into giving Brand a massage in 2009. The Channel 4 employee, who was granted lifelong anonymity, revealed the attack was "brushed under the carpet" by her superiors and said she remains fearful about the consequences of speaking out.
She alleged she was targeted by Brand during a recording session in 2009, when she was pressured by the comedian's entourage into giving him a massage. When she reluctantly agreed to keep the session going, Brand knelt down and thrust his head into her groin.
In a victim impact statement presented to Southwark Crown Court on Monday, the woman said she felt "powerless" during the incident, "really upset" afterwards, and found it difficult to trust colleagues in subsequent years.
Addressing her complaint to Channel 4 executives, she stated: "Immediately after the incident, I spoke up, and sadly it was brushed under the carpet by senior management. This really affected me, and if something similar had happened again at the time, I know I would not have had the confidence to speak up again.
"There was a culture, at the time, which meant I felt I had to just carry on and not talk about it anymore. Which meant I did not give myself time to lament on it, boxed it up and pushed it aside."
Conviction and remand
The court was told how two individuals from the Brand entourage, Jack Bayles and Gareth Roy, informed the woman that Brand was displeased and was declining to proceed with recording until she had provided him with a massage. Channel 4 has accepted that the woman's complaint was poorly handled in 2009, and Brand remained a presence on the broadcaster's programmes until 2019.
Brand was found guilty last Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, relating to offences committed between 2004 and 2009. Having spent four nights behind bars, he mouthed, "it'll be okay, I don't know how, but it will" to his wife, Laura Gallacher, as he entered the dock on Monday morning ahead of sentencing.
