British comedian Russell Brand sentenced to 10 years and six months for rape, sexual assault
British comedian Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison by Judge Joel Bennathan at London's Southwark Crown Court. Following a four-week trial, a jury unanimously convicted Brand of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women between 2005 and 2009. While jurors acquitted him of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault, London police confirmed that Brand remains under investigation over additional rape allegations from two other women. Brand, who transitioned from a mainstream entertainer into a conservative online guru, had maintained that all sexual encounters were consensual.
In court, Judge Bennathan told Brand that alongside his growing fame and charisma, he had become a sexual predator. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones argued that Brand exploited his celebrity status to access women and offend with perceived impunity. One victim testified that the assault left her in shock and feeling like damaged goods, while a former fan recounted that Brand's fame and power imbalance kept her silent for years. Supported in court by his wife, Laura Gallacher, Brand was remanded in custody and is expected to serve two-thirds of his total sentence in prison.
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