Russell Brand spent his first night behind bars on Thursday after being remanded in custody following his conviction for rape and three sexual assaults, and will return to court on Monday, November 9, for sentencing.
The 51-year-old comedian and actor was convicted at Southwark Crown Court in London on Thursday, November 5, after a trial that began on October 12. A jury found him guilty of raping a woman at his home in Hampstead in 2009 and of three sexual assaults against other women between 2004 and 2009. He was cleared of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Held in Wandsworth’s separation unit
Brand was taken straight from the dock into custody after Judge Joel Bennathan refused a bail application and warned him that a “significant custodial sentence” was inevitable. According to reports, he was taken to HMP Wandsworth in south-west London and placed in the prison’s Care and Separation Unit, kept away from other inmates over safety fears because of the nature of his offences.
Sources told The Sun on Friday night that Brand’s first day in jail left him “shaken and quiet,” and that he was “petrified” ahead of his first night behind bars. The prison where he will serve his sentence has yet to be determined; he is being held at Wandsworth temporarily until Monday’s sentencing hearing. Wandsworth, a Victorian prison, has been reported as running at 163 per cent of its normal capacity, against a national average of 107 per cent.
What sentence could he face?
Under the sentencing guidelines, rape carries a range of four to 19 years in custody. Barrister Eleanor Laws KC, a specialist in sexual offences cases, said Brand could face a prison sentence of at least 10 years, while another legal expert estimated he could receive eight or nine years — though the final sentence is for the judge to decide, including whether the sentences for the sexual assault convictions run at the same time as the rape sentence or one after another.
The case does not end with Monday’s hearing. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that two further alleged-rape investigations against Brand are active, and the force expects additional victims may come forward after the verdict. One of those allegations involves a then 16-year-old girl, and files have already been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. Brand denied all seven charges against six women at trial, saying the encounters were consensual. No sentence has yet been imposed, and nothing in this report should be read as stating one.
Related coverage: Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape and Three Sexual Assaults
