British comedian Russell Brand sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for rape and sexual assault: NPR
This is a court artist’s sketch made by Elizabeth Cook of Russell Brand in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, London, on Thursday November 5, 2026.
Elizabeth Cook/PA/AP
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Elizabeth Cook/PA/AP
Russell Brand, the raunchy and irreverent British comedian who became a celebrity darling in the early 2000s, has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
“The total sentence is ten years and six months,” Judge Bennathan said during sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday.
Brand, 51, was a career chameleon who rose from stand-up comedian and MTV host to political analyst esteemed by the British left, to then becoming a conspiracy theorist and Christian convert beloved by the American right.
But Brand’s critics said there was always a thread of misogyny in his comedy routines and that his mistreatment of women had been an open secret for decades.
Over the past four weeks, six women have testified against the comedian in a London court, in a trial that has attracted media attention.
A jury found Brand guilty last week of four of the seven charges against him. He was convicted of raping a woman he met on one of his shows in 2009 and of sexually assaulting three women – at a bar, a radio station and a television studio – between 2004 and 2009.
Brand denies all accusations and has said he has never had non-consensual sex.
Before the judge handed down the sentence, four of the women who filed charges against Brand gave victim impact statements to the court. Three of the statements were read by the prosecution, while one woman appeared in court behind a curtain to read hers.
None of the women have been named publicly and the trial has not been televised.
Reading of victim statements
The prosecution read a statement from the complainant, who Brand was convicted of anal rape at her home in 2009. In her statement, she said: “It’s something I carry with me every day and it often seems endless.”
“I doubt my ability to make good decisions and I don’t trust my instincts like I used to,” she said, adding that because of Brand’s fame, she didn’t think she would be believed if she reported him.
FILE – Russell Brand is seen on stage during a tribute to Amy Winehouse at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 28, 2011 in Los Angeles.
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Matt Sayles/AP
Another complainant, whom Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting in a bar in 2004 when he grabbed her breasts, said confusion over what she “should” or “could” do had haunted her for more than 20 years.
The plaintiff, who spoke in person behind a curtain in the courtroom, said she felt “physically sick” seeing Brand in the press as his fame grew.
Another victim of Brand, who was convicted of sexual assault in 2005, said the assault had “a lasting impact on her life” and that over the years, “hearing her voice on television or seeing her image startled me.”
A fourth woman, who Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting while they worked together in a television studio, said she was severely affected and later felt her working environment was unsafe.
Brand holds a rosary and prays
British media who were present in court for the sentencing said Brand, who had spent the weekend in prison, was in the trial for which he was convicted on Thursday and sat with a white rosary as victim impact statements were read. Brand’s wife, Laura, who had supported him throughout the case, was in court, as was his father.
After the victims’ statements, the defense and prosecution teams had the opportunity to make their final statements.
The prosecution called for a long sentence, saying there were aggravating circumstances in the anal rape case, such as Brand removing a condom. The defense, for its part, said Brand was “a fundamentally different person” than he was at the time of the crimes.
After reviewing the victim’s statements as well as those of the defense and prosecution, the judge pronounced the sentence live on camera.
In his remarks, he said Brand had become “a sexual predator” and took a break “to pay tribute to the determination and courage” of the women who had come forward.
He then ordered Brand taken to the cell.
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