Russell Brand is due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after being found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault, with the judge warning he faces a significant custodial term.
Guilty verdict and remand
The 51-year-old former comedian was found guilty of raping a woman in 2009, as well as sexually assaulting female TV and radio workers over a five-year period during the peak of his career in the 2000s.
On Thursday afternoon, Judge Mr Justice Bennathan refused to grant Brand bail and sent him to HMP Wandsworth, where he was reportedly placed in isolation away from other inmates.
Sentencing hearing details
The judge is expected to hear impact statements from Brand's victims and submissions from lawyers today before passing sentence. Brand is due in court from 10.30am this morning.
Shortly after the verdicts were read out on Thursday, Judge Mr Justice Bennathan said: "Sit down Mr Brand." He added that "given the verdict on count six at least, obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result".
Further allegations and investigations
Brand is currently under investigation over two further rape allegations. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told LBC Radio: "At the moment, we've got two other victims who've come forward who want to tell their story, and so two rape cases we're investigating. I wouldn't be surprised if many, many more come forward, and we're open to that."
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said yesterday that the case was a wake-up call for women in the media industry, and warned: "We need far more robust processes in place to protect women like the women who bravely came forward in the Russell Brand case to make sure that they are protected and treated seriously. Hand on heart, I don't think we can say that this couldn't happen today."
