Russell Brand has been moved to a new jail just days after being sentenced to 10 years and six months behind bars. The disgraced former comedian and actor took a secret 90-mile journey from HMP Wandsworth, South West London, to Category C HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire on Friday, November 13.
The move comes despite Brand previously being assessed for the high-security Category A HMP Wakefield, also known as Monster Mansion, which holds some of the UK's most dangerous criminals.
Solitary transfer and arrival
The 51-year-old, convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, was held in a solitary punishment block at HMP Wandsworth to prevent being attacked. He was driven to HMP Littlehey, near Huntingdon, in a Serco prison van, self-contained in a tiny cell to prevent anyone from seeing inside.
As reported by The Sun, Brand, flanked by ten guards, was marched to cell 103 after arriving at his new prison. It is a single-person cell on E Wing, where prisoners spend their early weeks. Brand asked for extra blankets on his first night at HMP Littlehey, which only houses male sex offenders.
Reaction from former officials
The move has been dubbed flabbergasting by ex-prison governor Vanessa Frake. She said: "I am absolutely flabbergasted that he is in a Category C prison. He has no previous convictions, but he has got a substantial sentence — and there’s possibly more in the pipeline.
"His high public profile and nature of the convictions, and his vulnerability to attacks will all have been encompassed in his risk assessment. But I am surprised they have downgraded him to a Category C already. I’d have thought Category B would have been more appropriate."
Mick Neville, an ex-Metropolitan Police detective, said people will see HMP Littlehey as the soft option for Brand. He explained how the prison authorities would have deemed it a real risk to house him at Monster Mansion.
Facilities and ongoing allegations
Prisoners at the jail can play football and bowls, take part in origami and yoga classes, and sing in a choir. It has an operational capacity of around 1,200 inmates. Elsewhere in the jail, there are two gyms, two sports halls, and an indoor bowls facility. Brand can also play quizzes and boardgames, including Scrabble.
Brand was jailed after being found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court. His convictions relate to attacks against four women between 2004 and 2009.
Since the trial, it has been revealed that a further six women have accused Brand of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour. These allegations could not legally be reported until his trial had concluded. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are actively investigating two separate, additional rape allegations against Brand. One of these ongoing cases involves an allegation of rape received in January this year.
