Jo Whiley has revealed the unsettling handwritten note convicted rapist Russell Brand gave to her years ago, admitting it now makes her 'shudder'.
On Monday, the disgraced actor and comedian, 51, was sentenced to 10 years and six months' imprisonment, having been found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault committed between 2004 and 2009. The sex offender will serve two-thirds of the sentence, roughly equivalent to seven years, and will serve the remainder on licence.
Whiley plans to burn the note
Several celebrities and public figures have spoken out against Brand in recent months, the latest being Whiley, who's had numerous encounters with him during her time at BBC Radio. Chatting to co-host Zoe Ball on their Dig It podcast, Whiley said she plans to 'burn' the note Brand wrote for her personally in the guest book she has for stars she interviews.
'I've got a signature from Russell,' she began. 'It's got the word… He just refers to me as a "MILF" (which stands for mother I'd like to f**k), and I feel like I keep looking at the bookshelf.'
'It's like it's burning a hole in my bookshelf at the moment. I'm sitting in the living room like those words are there.'
'I'm going to have to tear the page out and burn it. I really am, because it just makes me shudder, but that was what you expected, I think, when you met him,' said the DJ.
Reaction to the verdict
She went on to call the outcome of Brand's trial 'seismic' and something that felt 'extraordinarily important'.
'And there seems to have been, since then, this lament from women. I've just seen it over and over again, and I cried,' Whiley shared, having been with her teenage daughter, Coco, when she heard the news.
'It's for every woman who's ever been at the hands of somebody who's abused them, whether it's sexual or domestic. We all have experienced, or know people have experienced, something like this.'
Ball echoed her words, agreeing that the verdict was 'emotional' to hear and that the trial was 'harrowing' to watch unfold. 'I think it's been a real collective feeling of horror and upset,' said the broadcaster, 55. 'Then ultimately, I guess, relief that finally something big has happened that you hope is going to help women.'
Ball recounted how 'everyone was in silence watching' at her workplace when the judge handed Brand his sentence.
Judge's remarks and aftermath
Delivering the judgment at Southwark Crown, Mr Justice Bennathan slammed Brand's 'staggering arrogance', telling him: '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.'
He told him that his 'status protected him' until 2023, when journalists from the Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches began exposing a litany of sexual misconduct, leading to women making complaints to the police. The judge further condemned Brand's 'disregard for any woman's right to say no' to him and noted that his level of celebrity in the 2000s made him believe he could act 'when [he] liked and how [he] liked'. He further called out Brand's entourage from his heyday, which 'indulged' his 'dreadful behaviour'.
Brand's wife, Laura Gallacher, continued to stand by him throughout the trial and was just feet away as he was sentenced behind a glass-walled dock. Gallacher, who shares three children with Brand, was told by him, 'We'll be OK,' as he was taken to the cells.
In the aftermath of his trial, Brand, who consistently denied allegations against him and claimed his relationships were consensual, has been accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour by a further six women. He is currently serving time at HMP Wandsworth, but it has been reported that the Get Him to the Greek actor will be moved to HMP Wakefield, which is also where convicted paedophile and Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was murdered in May. The West Yorkshire-based jail is Category A, meaning it is a high-security classification and is designated for male convicts who pose the greatest threat to members of the public.
Sources have told The Sun that staff will be better equipped there to ensure his safety, but he is still likely to have an 'incredibly tough time' over the next seven years.
