LONDON (AP) — Russell Brand was sentenced Monday to 10 1/2 years in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others during a time when his bawdy behavior was indulged and celebrated during his rise to stardom.
Judge Joel Bennathan denounced Brand’s “casual and arrogant disregard” for any woman who said no to him, and castigated him for the series of lies he told in testimony denying assaults that dated to 2004.
“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,” Bennathan said. “You were clever — and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”
Brand showed little emotion during the stinging rebuke. He turned to mouth the words “we’ll be OK” to his wife after he stood up and was led away by court officers after the hearing.
The 51-year-old actor-comedian, known for outrageous stand-up routines and provocative behavior on television and radio broadcasts, as well as battles with drugs and alcohol, had maintained his innocence and testified that all his encounters were consensual.
But a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of attacking four of six accusers. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Prosecutor: Brand used fame to carry out crimes
The convictions — years after the #MeToo movement turned a spotlight on sexual abuse by the powerful and famous — raised questions about how Brand’s behavior was tolerated by TV and radio stations he worked for, including the BBC, and those around him.
“Mr. Brand abused the influence and power that came with his fame,” prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said. “He used it to facilitate access to women without which the offending could not have taken place. It also fed his own view that he could commit such offenses with impunity.”
Brand was supported by his wife, father and fans outside court
Brand wore a gray suit and an open collar shirt with a loose white tie. His long, graying hair was pulled back and knotted in a man bun atop his head. He clenched a crucifix in his right hand.
Defense lawyer Ian Winter urged the judge to consider Brand’s good character, saying his only previous conviction was for marijuana possession in 1995 and that he had performed charitable work and helped others overcome drug and alcohol abuse. He also asked the judge to consider the impact of the sentence on Brand’s family, particularly his three young children.
Brand was supported in Southwark Crown Court by his wife, Laura, and his father, Ron Brand. Laura entered the courthouse without Brand, who had been in since custody Thursday’s verdict.
A couple of Brand’s supporters, reflecting his recent conversion to Christianity, held a banner bearing crosses with the words: “Russell Brand we stand with you. Christ was crucified for telling the truth. Russell is the truth.”
Victims tell court it was difficult to see Brand celebrated in public
The accusers came forward following a 2023 investigation by The Times and Channel 4 that aired accounts from women who said they had been sexually abused and degraded by Brand.
One of the women he was convicted of abusing spoke in court about the trauma the crime caused. The others provided statements read by the prosecutor.
A woman whom Brand groped during a birthday party at a London bar in 2004 said that the assault left her in shock and turmoil and made her feel like “damaged goods.”
“It was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behavior against women like it was all a joke,” she said.
Brand stared straight ahead as she spoke from behind a curtain that shielded her from public view to preserve her identity.
Bennathan said Brand’s entourage may have written off the sexual assault as “laddish,” the boorish and obnoxious behavior for which Brand was known and with which he thought he could get away.
“It was outrageous and possibly laddish, but also a criminal sexual offense, and as it turns out you haven’t got away with it,” the judge said.
Rape victim felt ‘powerless’
A former fan he was convicted of anally raping at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009 said that she was left feeling anxious and humiliated and had difficulty eating and sleeping, and went through periods of heavy drinking.
She said she spent months fearing that she might have contracted HIV and that it took years for her to speak up. She only came forward after police opened an investigation following the documentary.
“I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed,” she said in the statement read by Karmy-Jones. “His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.”
Winter, the defense lawyer, argued that Brand should be “regarded as a man who went too far and overrode consent that had been given” following consensual sex.
The judge noted how disrespectfully Brand had treated the woman, including putting her in his phone contacts under “T” for “tart.”
A woman he was convicted of kissing and groping at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005 said it had a lasting impact on her life.
“Since the sexual assault … Russell Brand has managed to move on and even forget,” she said. “Over the years, hearing his voice on television, on social media or seeing his image made me jump.”
A woman says she was silenced by ‘culture at the time’
The final conviction was for sexually assaulting a woman who said the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin during the recording of an advertisement in 2009.
“Immediately after the incident I spoke up, and sadly it was brushed under the carpet by senior management,” she said. “There was a culture at the time which meant I felt I had to just carry on and not talk about it anymore, which meant I did not give myself time to lament on it, boxed it up and pushed it aside.”
Brand was acquitted of raping another woman in a hotel room during the Labour Party’s annual conference in the seaside town of Bournemouth in 1999, and of attempting to indecently assault a woman by dragging her into the men’s bathroom at the London office of music channel MTV.
The Associated Press doesn’t name victims of alleged sexual violence, and British law protects their identities from the media for life.
Brand, who was known for edgy stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, rose to prominence in the early 2000s hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in Hollywood films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
In recent years he has moved away from mainstream media, relocated to Florida and built a large online following with videos mixing wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious devotion.
