British actor and comedian Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being found guilty of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
Brand was sentenced on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, following his conviction last week over offences involving four women between 2004 and 2009.
During the sentencing, Judge Mr Justice Bennathan described Brand as a “sexual predator” who had told a “series of lies” and displayed “staggering arrogance”.
The judge said women had the right to refuse sexual advances regardless of what they wore, where they went or what they drank.
“Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no,” he told Brand.
He added that women also had the right to seek justice when their consent was ignored.
The court heard victim impact statements from the four women, who described the lasting effects of the abuse.
One of the victims, who was raped by Brand in 2009, said she had struggled with trauma and feared she might have contracted HIV after the attack.
Another woman said she felt powerless during the incident, while one described being left in shock and emotional turmoil.
Brand had faced seven charges, including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault. He was found guilty of four charges and acquitted of three.
The sentence comprises nine years for rape, alongside additional prison terms for the three sexual assault convictions. The sentences for the sexual assaults will run concurrently with one another but consecutively to the rape sentence, bringing the total to 10 years and six months.
According to the Sentencing Council, Brand is likely to serve two-thirds of his sentence in prison before being released on licence, subject to conditions.
His defence lawyer had asked the court to consider his rehabilitation work and argued that he was a different person today. The judge said he had taken the mitigating factors into account, reducing the sentence by one year.
Following the sentencing, Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy praised the women for their “bravery, dignity and resilience” throughout the investigation.
Crown Prosecution Service senior prosecutor David Roberts said the sentence could not undo the harm suffered by the victims but expressed hope that it would bring them some measure of justice.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that investigations into separate rape allegations made by two other women against Brand were still ongoing.
Brand was taken from Southwark Crown Court to HMP Wandsworth in south London to begin his prison sentence.
