Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault. The former comedian and actor's past interviews and celebrity interactions have been called into question as resurfaced clips and anecdotes circulate.
Sentencing and Charges
Mr Justice Joel Bennathan described Brand as a "sexual predator" who told a "series of lies" and exhibited "staggering arrogance". Brand received nine months for sexually assaulting a woman at a bar in London in 2004, where he grabbed her breasts. He was sentenced to 18 months for sexually assaulting a woman at the Choice FM studios in London in 2005, and eight months for sexually assaulting a Channel 4 worker in 2009, when he laid his head into her groin area without her consent.
The sentences will be served concurrently, bringing the total to 10 years and six months. Brand is likely to serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody, according to the Sentencing Council. He 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.
Resurfaced Incidents
During an appearance on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007, Brand was on the panel with Noel Fielding and singer Lily Allen, who was 21 at the time. A resurfaced clip shows Jonathan Ross arguing that Allen should be moved because she was sitting between Fielding and Brand. Ross told host Jimmy Carr: "You've put the only sexually attractive young lady – well, the only young lady, full stop, she happens to be very attractive as well – near two of the best-known c------- of the business."
Later in the exchange, Carr asked Fielding why he was wearing a cape on the show if he wasn't a rapist. Fielding explained, "It’s a Jack the Ripper cape. He wasn’t a rapist; he was just..." Brand cut in and said, "A serial murderer. There is no direct corollary between capes and rape. It’s just a rhyme. Leave him alone." Brand continued, "What if, horror of horrors, he ain’t even done a rape. You could ruin his reputation. Have you done a rape?" Fielding responded, "Well, if I have, I’d be leaving the scene of the crime like this," before moving his cape in front of his face. Fielding has not been accused of any wrongdoing and is not involved in Brand's trial or conviction.
Memoir and Other Encounters
Brand's 2007 memoir, My Booky Wook, and its 2010 sequel contain several excerpts describing strange sexual desires and encounters with women. One excerpt reads: "I was allowed to sleep in her [a girl called Penny’s] bed top to toe. I spun gags and yarns till she let me turn round, I painted verbal pictures and begged until she kissed me, I lied and danced and evoked the spirit of Pan till reluctantly she removed her bra, I used tears and emotional blackmail to secure the immolation of her knickers."
Another reads: "It took maybe two weeks [of teaching a language course] before I realised my classroom was a sexy library from which I could borrow lovely women from all around the world: Italian, Brazilian, Japanese; I brought back these two Polish women once and [a friend] said, ‘They look like them girls in Schindler’s List that put blood on their cheeks to avoid being executed.’ I liked them." A third reads: "This girl was a sorry, fair-weather excuse for a prostitute … then the phone rings again, and I, and this is the worst act of misogyny I’ve committed since the spitting debacle, took the phone out of her hand and threw it at the wall."
Following the 2023 documentary in which allegations came out against Brand, comments he made about a BBC newsreader resurfaced. In the audio clip, Brand could be heard degrading Andrea Simmons, labelling her as "erotic" and a "sex bomb". He can also be heard claiming he wanted to "go under the desk" while she was reading the news, and saying: "We are going to get under that desk and we’re going to unleash hell on your thighs, woman."
Interviews and School Memories
Among the resurfaced clips is one of Brand grabbing Australian presenter Liz Hayes and kissing her, while also joking about unhooking her bra. Hayes had been interviewing Brand for a segment on Nine's Sunday night show, 60 Minutes, back in 2012. She could be seen putting her hand between herself and Brand and thanking him for his time. "How can I undo your bra? Just like this …" he joked as he put his arm on her back. Reflecting on the interview, Hayes said in 2021: "When you interview Russell Brand, you don’t really know who is going to show up. Seasoned as I am as a journalist, I am prepared for all events and all kinds of people." She added: "And when Russell Brand decided he would like to kiss me, well, you size up the situation. You think, ‘Mmm-hmm. Am I in danger? What could go wrong?’"
A former classmate of Brand, 52-year-old Tony Brown, met the convicted sex offender after enrolling at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts when he was 16 years old. He described Brand as being "overly confident" and said he used to sexualise former students. "The junior schoolgirl classrooms were on the third floor. I remember Russell would stalk the corridors," he recalled. "He had no reason to be there, yet he would be caught walking up and down those corridors. There were two girls in particular that he was bragging about, that he was going to have them and take them under his cloak of love."
Dannii Minogue previously blasted Russell Brand as a "vile predator" following an appearance on his MTV chat show, 1 Leicester Square. In 2006, the singer had been booked on the show to discuss the release of her album The Hits & Beyond, but the chat turned to her appearance when Brand admired her "fabulous breasts". She said that he then pestered her to give him her phone number after following the then 34-year-old down a corridor. "He is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator," she recalled. "I certainly don't think he has cured his sex addiction, that's for sure. He wouldn't take no for an answer. [...] He always goes that step too far. Never quite far enough to slap his face, but usually too far."
While promoting his film Get Him to the Greek, Brand was interviewed by Australian journalist Fifi Box. During the interview, Brand said that the presenter's name was like a "porn" name and commented on its vaginal connotations. "When you laugh like that, it makes me know what you sound like when you c**. And I like it," he told her as she laughed awkwardly in response. He then got on top of her and kissed her on the cheek while she tried to remind him that he was engaged to Katy Perry.
