Disgraced comedian Russell Brand has been sentenced to a total of 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assault. This is made up of nine years for one count of rape and the rest for three counts of sexual assault. The sexual assault sentences will run concurrently.
Before passing sentence at Southwark Crown Court Judge Bennathan said: “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous. You were clever and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”
“Your status protected you until 2023 when journalists published allegations”
A jury of eight men and four women found Brand guilty of allegations dating back to 2004. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The judge said he would be released on licence after serving wo thirds of his sentence.
Reports say Brand did not react to the sentence except to mouth the words "I love you" to his wife Laura as he was led down.
Brand was found guilty of raping a woman at his home in Hampstead in 2009 days after meeting her at the Hammersmith Apollo where he’d been performing. They had consensual sex before he anally raped her. She told the court "he hurt me and harmed me and when I asked him to stop he didn’t."
The sexual assault sentences are as follows:
Nine months for count three - sexually assaulting a woman whose breasts he grabbed at a bar in London in 2004. Eighteen months for count five - sexually assaulting a woman at the Choice FM studios in London in either 2004 or 2005, when he grabbed her face and kissed her before touching her breasts and bottom Eight months from count seven - sexual assault while working on a Channel 4 project in 2009, when he laid his head into the groin area of a woman working with him without consent.
It was revealed in court before sentencing that Georgina Baillie, the granddaughter of late Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, had given a character statement in support of Brand.
Brand's cefence barrister Ian Winter KC said Baillie "was an alcoholic and now has been sober for six years because Mr Brand both persuaded her, then paid for her to go through rehabilitation".
Baillie was at the centre of the 'Sachsgate' scandal in 2008 when Brand and Jonathan Ross left rude messages on Andrew Sachs' answerphone.
Further updates here.
