Russell Brand jailed for ten and a half years
Russell Brand was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to ten years and six months for raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009 and sexually assaulting three women between 2004 and 2009, and must serve two-thirds before he is eligible for parole. Mr Justice Bennathan told him: “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 judge gave nine years for the rape, adding two for removing a condom and other aggravating factors, and nine, 18 and eight months for the assaults; he said Brand, 51, had shown “staggering arrogance”, told “a series of lies” and believed “that fame meant you could act however you liked, when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live”, indulged by an entourage. Brand told his wife “we’ll be OK” before a van took him to Wandsworth. The four women’s statements were read by the prosecutor: the rape victim said “his fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless”; the Channel 4 worker said her complaint was “brushed under the carpet by senior management”. Ian Winter KC argued his client was “a man who went too far and overrode consent that had been given”, not “in general terms a rapist”. The Met says its investigation “remains ongoing”, with two further rape complaints, one from a woman who was 16, before prosecutors. Lisa Nandy said on Sunday that “time is up” for the media industry. Watch the charging decision on the two new files.