Russell Brand, 51, is facing years in jail after being convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Jurors returned the guilty verdicts last Thursday following a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is investigating two further allegations of rape made against the comedian and actor. One of those allegations comes from a woman who was 16 years old when the alleged offence took place.
Judge's Warning and Bail Denied
Mr Justice Joel Bennathan, who presided over the case, told Brand that he should expect a lengthy custodial sentence. The judge also denied Brand's request to be given bail over the weekend so he could say goodbye to his children, fearing that Brand would abscond instead of returning to court.
Brand's wife, Laura Gallacher, sister to long-term Sky Sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher, was seen looking distressed in the public gallery as Brand was taken down from the dock. Photos emerged of Brand departing from the court in a custodial van as he was taken to a prison cell.
Detention and Sentencing Hearing
The exact jail where Brand spent the last few days has not been confirmed but is believed to have been HMP Wandsworth. He would have been expected to have been monitored around the clock by prison officers and banned from mixing with other inmates, so he would have seen very few people as he waited for his sentence to be handed down.
He was due to return to Southwark Crown Court for his sentencing hearing to start at 10.30am on Monday. Brand will likely face between 4 and 19 years imprisonment. An assessment will be made by the judge based on the harm Brand caused to his victims and his culpability in each of the four offences. It is understood that victim impact statements will be heard by the court during the sentencing hearing.
A whole host of factors will be considered, including those that could aggravate and mitigate the length of his sentence. It is also up to the judge to decide whether Brand should serve the sentences for the four offences concurrently or consecutively.
Prison Placement Considerations
The prison to which Brand will be sent will have been chosen by the time of his sentencing hearing starting. It is unlikely to have been selected before he was found guilty.
The UK Prison Service will evaluate whether Brand is an immediate danger to himself or other prisoners, and the public, before settling on a particular jail. Many sex offenders in the UK are placed in Vulnerable Prisoner Units if prison staff believe they could be targeted by other inmates. There are also prisons in the UK dedicated to housing sexual offenders, such as HMP Whatton and HMP Stafford. But Brand is most likely to be sent to one of London's major jails for adult men with expectations that it will be HMP Wandsworth.
