Russell Brand's wife, Laura Gallacher, was escorted into Southwark Crown Court on Monday morning, arriving arm-in-arm with a close friend as supporters of the disgraced comedian gathered outside ahead of his sentencing.
Gallacher arrived shortly after 9.30am, with two protesters outside the court seen waving a large banner declaring: "Russell Brand, we stand with you."
Conviction and Custody
Brand, 51, was brought to court separately in a prison van after being remanded in custody by Mr Justice Bennathan. He was found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault, with the offences committed against four women between 2004 and 2009.
The verdict followed eight-and-a-half hours of deliberations, with jurors unanimously convicting Brand. Throughout the trial, he denied all of the allegations against him.
Further Allegations and Investigation
Brand faces a "significant custodial term," with impact statements from his victims expected to be heard in court ahead of sentencing. He is currently under investigation over two further rape allegations, and Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said his officers are braced for "many, many more" potential victims to come forward.
Brand was found guilty of raping a woman in 2009, as well as sexually assaulting female television and radio workers over a five-year period during the height of his career in the 2000s.
Acquittals and Maximum Sentences
He was acquitted of raping a woman at a hotel in Bournemouth in 1999 and found not guilty of attempted indecent assault after being accused of grabbing a woman's arm and pulling her towards a toilet in central London in 2001. A further not guilty verdict was returned on an allegation that Brand had orally raped a woman in a toilet at a London bar.
The maximum sentence for rape, of which he was found guilty, is life imprisonment, while sexual assault convictions can carry a sentence of up to 10 years.
