Russell Brand Jailed for 10 and a Half Years: Judge Calls Him a “Sexual Predator”

Russell Brand has been jailed for 10 years and six months for raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others. Sentencing him at Southwark Crown Court this afternoon, Mr Justice Bennathan told the 51-year-old: “You had also become a sexual predator.”

Brand was found guilty last Thursday of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, committed against four women between 2004 and 2009 as he rose to fame as a comedian, TV and radio presenter and Hollywood actor. He was cleared of two further rape charges and one attempted indecent assault.

What the judge said

Mr Justice Bennathan began by saying that two decades ago Brand was “in many people’s eyes funny and charismatic”. He went on: “You had also become a sexual predator.”

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He said Brand’s fame had protected him until the allegations became public in 2023: “Those public declarations that you were a sex offender empowered a number of women to come forward and tell their stories of your activities many years before. I now have to sentence you for the crimes you committed against four women between 2004 and 2009.”

The judge said Brand’s claim in evidence that he had never grabbed a woman’s breasts shortly after meeting her was, “in light of the jury’s verdicts… one of a series of lies you told”. He accused Brand of “a casual and arrogant disregard for a woman’s right to say no to you” and spoke of his “staggering arrogance”.

He said he would not take into account the 2023 Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, or the charges Brand was cleared of. While sentencing guidelines meant he should not simply add all four sentences together, he said that making them all run at the same time “would not do justice to the overall gravity” of Brand’s offending.

“It often feels never-ending”: the victims’ statements

Statements from the women were read to the court before sentence. The woman Brand raped at his Hampstead home in 2009, a week after meeting her at his show at the Hammersmith Apollo, said: “It’s something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending.” She added: “His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.” and “I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed.”

A woman Brand assaulted at a radio station in 2005 said: “Russell Brand has managed to move on and even forget that he sexually assaulted me violently in a very public place and in front of people.” Another victim told the court: “Russell Brand is a sexual predator who has no remorse for how his behaviour has impacted my life. I just hope that he is not allowed to hurt any more women.”

A former Channel 4 worker, assaulted during filming in 2009, said she spoke up straight away but “sadly it was brushed under the carpet by senior management”.

The prosecution and defence

Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC told the court Brand used his fame “to facilitate an access to women without which the offending could not have taken place”, and that it “fed his own view that he could commit such offences with impunity”.

Defending, Ian Winter KC said the offences happened as Brand “started to become very famous and then extraordinarily famous”. He said Brand’s wife, Laura Gallacher, was devastated but standing by him: “Words are completely inadequate… to convey the total devastation she’s experiencing.” Six people submitted character references for Brand, including Georgina Baillie, who was at the centre of the 2008 “Sachsgate” row.

Brand in the dock

Brand’s wife and father watched from the public gallery. As he entered the dock, he turned to his wife and told her: “It’ll be okay, I don’t know how, but it will.” During the lunch break he winked and nodded at his family and supporters, holding a crucifix.

What the Prime Minister said

Prime Minister Andy Burnham praised the women who came forward, saying their bravery “will, I believe, change the system more broadly”. He said he had brought forward plans for specialist rape and serious sexual offence teams in every police force to the end of next year.

Need support? If you have been affected by sexual violence, you can contact Rape Crisis England & Wales on 0808 500 2222 (24/7), or the Survivors Trust on 0808 801 0818. In an emergency, call 999.

How the case unfolded