Russell Brand Sentenced to 10 Years and Six Months in Prison for Rape and Sexual Assault

Russell Brand was sentenced on Monday to 10 years and six months in prison, four days after a London jury convicted him of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women during the years he was becoming one of Britain's most recognizable entertainers. Judge Joel Bennathan, passing sentence at Southwark Crown Court, opened his remarks with the finding the whole case turned on: Brand, he said, was clever, funny and charismatic in many people's eyes - and had also become a sexual predator as he rose to fame two decades ago.

The sentence breaks down as nine years for the rape of a 21-year-old woman in 2009, with terms of nine months, 18 months and eight months for the three sexual assaults running alongside each other and in sequence with the rape term to reach 10 years and six months in total, according to the sentencing reports. Brand, 51, must serve two-thirds of it - seven years - in custody before he can be released on licence, and his name will be on the sex offenders' register for life. He had spent the four nights since the verdict at HMP Wandsworth, Britain's Press Association reported, showed no emotion as the sentence was delivered, and told his wife, Laura Gallacher, 'we'll be OK' before he was taken away.

Before the judge spoke, the court heard what the crimes cost. The woman assaulted at a central London bar in 2004, shielded by a protective curtain, described her 'complete shock and turmoil' and years of seeing her attacker celebrated in the media 'like it was all a joke.' A statement from the woman raped in 2009, read by the prosecutor, said she turned to alcohol 'to block out my feelings and memories.' Another victim, assaulted at her workplace in 2005, called Brand 'a sexual predator who has no remorse for how his behavior has impacted my life.' The jury had acquitted him of two further rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault; he had denied wrongdoing and told the trial his encounters were consensual.

Outside court, the Crown Prosecution Service's David Roberts said the result shows that 'fame, status and the passage of time do not change the fundamental issue of consent,' and Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police praised the women's 'immense bravery, dignity and resilience.' The case is not necessarily over: the Met confirmed last week that it is investigating two further allegations of rape against Brand, one involving a woman who says she dated him at 16 when he was 30, and Police Chief Mark Rowley said Friday it would not surprise him if more alleged victims came forward. This story updates the station's Nov. 5 verdict file, which reported that sentencing would fall on Monday.