Russell Brand, convicted of rape and sexual assault, has had a personal message from prison read aloud by his wife, Laura Gallacher, in which he continues to assert his innocence and describes his new surroundings at HMP Littlehey.
Gallacher shared the statement during the couple's weekly podcast, Sunday Service, saying Brand asked her to read it to listeners. In the message, Brand refers to himself as a brother in Christ and claims "something strange is happening" given his assertion that he is not guilty of the offences for which he was jailed.
Brand's Message From HMP Littlehey
Reading from a notebook, Gallacher quoted Brand as saying: "Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, God bless you for your support. As you know, I am not guilty for the offences I have been jailed for, so something strange is happening. The good news is that Christ is with us when we choose Him, and I do."
He went on to describe his location: "I am incarcerated in HMP Littlehey, 'little' as in small, and 'hey' as in 'hey, I'm in the biggest sex offenders' prison in Europe.'" Brand added that the staff there are "strong, they are kind, and they are dedicated," and said he is "in no position to judge anyone" among his fellow prisoners.
Move to Category C Prison
Brand was reportedly moved to the Category C prison HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire on Friday, having previously been held at HMP Wandsworth. Littlehey offers inmates activities including choir and indoor bowls.
Brand received a 10-and-a-half-year sentence after being found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others during his career. He is expected to serve two-thirds of that sentence before being released on licence and will remain on the sex offenders' register for life.
Wife Continues Podcast
Gallacher began the episode by saying she is there to "continue the good work that was being established here in this Sunday service community, something very, very close to mine and Russell's heart." She added: "It may look different, but the ambitions are very much the same, and we trust God, and we trust his plan, and we trust everything he's doing right now."
She acknowledged the difficulty of continuing without her husband, saying: "Even though it's painful, and obviously, will take some getting used to for me to even sit here and not have my companion and my person with me, but I want to continue, and I'm grateful for the support." Gallacher said she has been speaking to Brand, adding: "He's okay, and he's praying."
