Russell Brand, jailed for 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assault, is expected to face a 'target on his back' while in prison, a former inmate has told Metro.
The 51-year-old is understood to be held at HMP Wandsworth in south west London, a Victorian-era prison around 170 years old where conditions have been described as 'squalid'. Due to his celebrity status and fortune, he is almost guaranteed to be placed on the Vulnerable Prisoner (VP) wing, where inmates are watched daily and assigned welfare officers they can approach 'for any issue'.
Protection rackets and the risks of wealth
An ex-inmate, who was housed in the VP wing of Britain's most notorious jails, told Metro that prisoners already inside Brand's prison will be out for him, though not necessarily looking for a fight. One of Brand's most appealing, but dangerous, attributes is his money. The former prisoner said: 'Every wing has a clique of lads who are essentially "the muscle". They will tell Brand they will offer him protection, but they will want something in return.'
The ex-inmate claimed he saw a high-profile prisoner buy 'one of the bigger lads' a brand new car for his girlfriend to use on the outside to visit the prison more regularly. 'You can only ever have a maximum of around £1,000 in your prison account, so bigger "gifts" are transferred on the outside, usually to benefit the wives and girlfriends on the outside,' he said.
'What will keep Brand alive, is entertaining'
Brand needs to spend his first weeks 'sussing things out' and not making too much of a show of himself, according to the ex-inmate. He will likely be moved from HMP Wandsworth to a Category B or C prison in the UK, where he will have to readjust. After that, he can start to branch out. Infamous criminals have gained respect and helped shift the threat looming over them by doing their day jobs. Serial killer Harold Shipman was said to have earned popularity on his wing by becoming the 'unofficial doctor' and giving people free check-ups after the regular medics inside the jail became too busy.
'I was in a prison band and we even put on a charity gig inside the chapel at HMP Frankland once,' the ex-inmate said. 'He should lean into that, put on comedy gigs. Other prisoners will love that.'
Brand has a long road ahead of him
Brand must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence, meaning he will have at least a seven-year stint inside cell walls. There are plenty of education classes at his disposal, but it's the offending courses which count towards his parole dossier. Since Brand has so far denied his crimes, it's not likely he will be willing to take these. All of this counts towards being released on parole, meaning he could serve his full 10-year and six-month sentence.
One of Brand's victims, who chose to give her impact statement in court during sentencing, delivered it from behind a beige curtain. She said: 'For many years as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke. There were many times I felt visibly sick at the sight of him parading around think he can get away with anything.' The victim concluded her statement: 'As they say a leopard may change its spots but at the end of the day it's still a leopard and not a gazelle.'
