Russell Brand jailed for 10½ years after conviction for rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10 years and six months in prison after a jury convicted him last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The convictions relate to offenses against four women, not six, in attacks that prosecutors said took place between 2004 and 2009.

The sentence was imposed by Mr Justice Bennathan at Southwark Crown Court in London. A jury at the same court found Brand guilty on Nov. 5, according to the Crown Prosecution Service, which said the convictions covered one rape count and three sexual assault counts involving four women. The CPS said the case was prosecuted by its specialist London Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit.

Bennathan ordered that Brand, 51, serve two-thirds of the custodial term in prison before release on license. He will also be subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, a legal regime that requires convicted sex offenders to keep police informed of key personal details. The Metropolitan Police said that means Brand will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.

In sentencing remarks, Bennathan said: “Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no and to demand justice from the criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Russell Brand, act without their consent.”

The Metropolitan Police said victim impact statements from the four women were read in court and described lasting trauma. Prosecutors said Brand used his public profile in carrying out the offenses, making the case a closely watched one because of his fame at the time.

The trial lasted about four weeks at Southwark Crown Court. Brand had faced seven charges in total. The jury convicted him on four counts and acquitted him on three.

Brand was once a prominent British comedian, actor and media personality who rose to fame in the 2000s before later reinventing himself as an online commentator and podcast host. His celebrity was a central part of the prosecution’s case, with the CPS saying he exploited that status in committing sexual crimes.

The case gathered pace after a 2023 joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches brought allegations about Brand’s conduct into public view. That reporting prompted further complaints to police and led to the criminal case that ended with Monday’s sentencing.