Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months after being convicted of one charge of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a trial in London. The sentence was handed down after a trial in the UK, with Brand and his family having travelled from their home in Florida.
Beach gathering before trial
New pictures show Brand hosting a large gathering on a beach in Florida. The event was held on September 27th, with Brand inviting friends, family and a local community group. A source told TMZ that Brand was joined by people from his church as well as friends and family, and people from the Path of Grace Recovery, a local non-profit group which supports women struggling with drugs and alcohol.
Approximately 100 people were in attendance, including his wife and kids. While it wasn't billed as a 'going away party', it was thought to be the last event Brand held before he flew to the UK. Sources at the event claimed much of the time was spent praying and Brand stood for photographs. He allegedly told one person at the get together, "I might be going away for a long time."
Final podcast appearance
Just weeks before he was jailed for rape and sexual assault, Brand and his wife made their final appearance together on their podcast titled Sunday Service with The Brands. The latest episode had been posted on October 11th and was titled The I of The Storm.
During the opening, he said: "We're in the UK, why is that?" before joking "fancied a trip" and adding "the Lord brought us here". Laura then recounted how they were back in the UK and they started promoting her book. Ahead of the trial, Russell also asked for people to "pray for us if you feel so inclined".
He said: "For me being back here, obviously there are great challenges knowing that however we shake this down, there are people that feel aggrieved and hurt and my prayer is that this will be addressed in the coming weeks. We'll do our best to respect the important restrictions that exist around court cases to ensure that truth and justice can be done."
Later in the podcast, Laura read a message from a viewer, which said: "I know what it's like to be awaiting possible imprisonment and the huge pressure it places on loved ones too. You WILL get through it; iron sharpens iron. The presence of God is everywhere, including prison." Brand interrupted her, saying, "I don't like things where it's like, you might have to go to prison."
