Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison, ending the rise of one of the UK's most famous stand-up comedians, TV and radio hosts and Hollywood film stars. The 51-year-old was convicted following a four-week trial, with Mr Justice Bennathan describing him as a "sexual predator" who displayed "staggering arrogance" and told a "series of lies".
After hearing his sentence, Brand said: "I'm alright, I'm alright." His wife, Laura Gallacher, watched as Brand mouthed "I love you" before being taken down to the cells. The sentencing follows years in which a number of high-profile figures had publicly questioned his reputation.
Celebrities Who Clashed With Brand
Several celebrities had expressed their disdain of Brand years before his conviction. In 2006, Brand and Peaches Geldof, daughter of Sir Bob Geldof, were reported to have been linked, with Brand in his 30s while Peaches was a teenager, although a romantic relationship was never confirmed.
The same year, while presenting the 2006 NME Awards, Sir Bob Geldof made his feelings clear. As the Boomtown Rats singer approached the stage, he briefly shook Brand's hand before shouting into the microphone: "Russell Brand – what a c***!" Brand later told the crowd: "Really, it's no surprise [Geldof]'s such an expert on famine. He has, after all, been dining out on 'I Don't Like Mondays' for 30 years."
Past Disputes and Public Outcry
On October 18 2008, Brand and presenter Jonathan Ross staged a prank call on their BBC Radio 2 show to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, the grandfather of Georgina Baillie, who had a consensual relationship with Brand in the mid-2000s when she was 21. The call included Ross shouting, "He f***ed your granddaughter," sparking widespread revulsion and becoming known as the 'Sachsgate' affair.
Ms Baillie, now 41, reportedly suffered a spiral into drugs and alcohol after the incident, and her relationship with her grandfather never recovered. Following Brand's conviction, she told the Daily MIl that "justice had been served".
Brand was also involved in a public dispute with Sir Rod Stewart after making a crude remark about his daughter at the GQ Man of the Year Awards in 2006. Brand said: "Here's to Rod Stewart who had a go at me earlier this year for too much womanising. But then again I did have a go on his daughter." Stewart responded by asking Brand to "stand up", and Brand backtracked, saying he "took her out for one evening". When Stewart asked "Did you behave yourself?", Brand said "I never touched that girl", to which Stewart replied: "F***ing right, you didn't. You mustn't come up here and boast. I speak here as a father."
