British comedian and actor Russell Brand is sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being convicted for rape and sexual assaults [AFP]
A British court has sentenced comedian and actor Russell Brand to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault.
London’s Southwark Crown Court handed down the sentence on Monday. Brand was convicted last week of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three more between 2004 and 2009.
The British media personality, known for outrageous stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, asserted that he was innocent and that all his encounters were consensual.
However, a jury of eight men and four women on Thursday convicted him of attacks on four of six accusers. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
His victims delivered powerful statements during the sentencing hearing, describing the trauma his attacks had caused.
‘Predator’
Brand was a sexual predator who believed “fame meant you could act how you liked, when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live”, Judge Joel Bennathan said at the sentencing hearing.
He showed “casual and arrogant disregard” for women, Bennathan added.
“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,” he said. “You were clever — and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You also became a sexual predator.”
The 51-year-old Brand, who had sought during the trial to present himself as a newly devout Christian, showed little emotion during the hearing. He has denied ever having non-consensual sex.
His lawyer Ian Winter said Brand “is a fundamentally different person today and has been for a very long time”, and has now recovered from his addiction to drugs and alcohol.
One victim, whom Brand raped in 2009, said in a statement read by prosecutors that the trauma of the attack was “something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending”.
London’s Metropolitan Police said Brand is under investigation for two other alleged rapes, one involving a then-16-year-old girl, and the head of the force said on Friday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if many more came forward”.