Russell Brand's wedding anniversary gift to his wife, Laura Gallacher, once left fans "terrified" and has resurfaced after the disgraced comedian was handed a jail sentence of more than 10 years. The conviction followed his being found guilty of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women.
The offences took place at the height of Brand's career. Laura, who married the former Hollywood actor in 2017, arrived at Southwark Crown Court to stand by her husband on November 9 as he learned his fate.
Anniversary Video Draws Fan Backlash
Laura was seated to the front right of the dock, behind Brand's father Ron, before both were relocated to the public gallery. She looked on as her husband was informed he would likely serve at least two thirds of his sentence in custody.
It was on his first wedding anniversary with Laura that Brand took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share the unsettling anniversary gift, according to the Mirror. In a video, 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."
Fan Reactions and Conviction Details
The song, Inside of You, was performed by Brand's character Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, written by Jason Segel. The post, published on August 26, 2018, was quickly inundated with responses from deeply unsettled fans.
One wrote: "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." A second penned: "You are such an a*s." "Creepy," replied a third. Meanwhile, a fourth commented: "Just a wee bit terrifying no matter which way you look at it." A fifth typed: "Clearly missing something here. Creepy!"
In addition to raping a fan, Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting an MTV employee at a bar in Soho, a woman at the Choice FM studios, and a Channel 4 worker who had been forced to give him a massage. He denied all offences but was found guilty following a four-week trial.
He was acquitted of an attempted indecent assault as well as orally raping a woman in a toilet at a London bar. In sentencing Brand, Mr Justice Bennathan described him as a "sexual predator". He said: "About 20 years ago Russell Brand, you were becoming famous, you were clever, and in many people's eyes you were funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator."
