Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison for rape and sexual assault. Mr Justice Joel Bennathan described Brand as a "sexual predator" who told a "series of lies" and exhibited "staggering arrogance".
The comedian, 51, returned to Southwark Crown Court on Monday (November 9) after being found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault last week. Brand's wife, Laura Gallacher, whom he married in 2017, was present in court for his sentencing. She sat behind the disgraced TV star in the public gallery alongside other members of his family.
Courtroom scenes and sentencing
Before receiving his sentence, Brand told his wife: "It'll be OK. I don’t know how, but it will." Laura could be heard saying "oh god" as Brand walked into the dock, before telling him "I love you" when he turned around to face her.
The hearing was due to begin at 10.30am. However, it was delayed because court staff have been attempting to organise the courtroom to ensure Brand, those who came to support him, and the public gallery could not see the witness box.
Guilty verdicts and acquittals
Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (November 5). He was found guilty of raping a 21-year-old fan he met after one of his Hammersmith Apollo shows in 2009.
The Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor was found guilty of sexually assaulting an MTV worker in a Soho bar in 2004 and a Choice FM worker after encountering her in a corridor in 2005. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker during a forced massage in 2009.
Acquitted charges
He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand was cleared of raping a woman in a hotel in Bournemouth in 1999, during the Labour Party conference where he had been performing at a cabaret show.
The dad-of-three was found not guilty of an attempted indecent assault offence, when he was accused of grabbing a woman’s arm and pulling her towards a toilet in central London in 2001. He was also found not guilty of orally raping a woman in a toilet at a bar in London.
Time in prison
After the verdicts were handed down, Brand was taken to HMP Wandsworth, widely regarded as one of Britain's worst prisons. Brand was "petrified" to spend his first night behind bars and was reportedly "monitored around the clock".
His arrival is said to have coincided with another inmate staging a 'dirty protest', deliberately smearing or throwing faeces or urine around his cell.
