Russell Brand is sentenced to 10 1/2 years in British prison for rape
and sexual assault
[November 10, 2026]
By BRIAN MELLEY
LONDON (AP) — Russell Brand was sentenced Monday to 10½ years in prison
for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others during a time
when his bawdy behavior was indulged and celebrated during his rise to
stardom.
Judge Joel Bennathan denounced Brand's “casual and arrogant disregard”
for any woman who said no to him, and castigated him for the series of
lies he told in testimony denying assaults that dated to 2004.
“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,” Bennathan
said. “You were clever — and in many people’s eyes, funny and
charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”
Brand showed little emotion during the stinging rebuke. He turned to
mouth the words “we'll be OK” to his wife after he stood up and was led
away by court officers after the hearing.
The 51-year-old actor-comedian, known for outrageous stand-up routines
and provocative behavior on television and radio broadcasts, as well as
battles with drugs and alcohol, had maintained his innocence and
testified that all his encounters were consensual.
But a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of attacking
four of six accusers. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count
of attempted indecent assault.
Prosecutor: Brand used fame to carry out crimes
The convictions — years after the #MeToo movement turned a spotlight on
sexual abuse by the powerful and famous — raised questions about how
Brand’s behavior was tolerated by TV and radio stations he worked for,
including the BBC, and those around him.
“Mr. Brand abused the influence and power that came with his fame,”
prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said. “He used it to facilitate access to
women without which the offending could not have taken place. It also
fed his own view that he could commit such offenses with impunity."
Brand was supported by his wife, father and fans outside court
Brand wore a gray suit and an open collar shirt with a loose white tie.
His long, graying hair was pulled back and knotted in a man bun atop his
head. He clenched a crucifix in his right hand.
Defense lawyer Ian Winter urged the judge to consider Brand's good
character, saying his only previous conviction was for marijuana
possession in 1995 and that he had performed charitable work and helped
others overcome drug and alcohol abuse. He also asked the judge to
consider the impact of the sentence on Brand's family, particularly his
three young children.
Brand was supported in Southwark Crown Court by his wife, Laura, and his
father, Ron Brand. Laura entered the courthouse without Brand, who had
been in since custody Thursday's verdict.
A couple of Brand's supporters, reflecting his recent conversion to
Christianity, held a banner bearing crosses with the words: “Russell
Brand we stand with you. Christ was crucified for telling the truth.
Russell is the truth.”
Victims tell court it was difficult to see Brand celebrated in public
The accusers came forward following a 2023 investigation by The Times
and Channel 4 that aired accounts from women who said they had been
sexually abused and degraded by Brand.
One of the women he was convicted of abusing spoke in court about the
trauma the crime caused. The others provided statements read by the
prosecutor.
A woman whom Brand groped during a birthday party at a London bar in
2004 said that the assault left her in shock and turmoil and made her
feel like “damaged goods.”
“It was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being
celebrated for his disgusting behavior against women like it was all a
joke," she said.
Brand stared straight ahead as she spoke from behind a curtain that
shielded her from public view to preserve her identity.
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Comedian and actor Russell Brand, accompanied by his wife Laura
Brand, leaves Southwark Crown Court in London, Wednesday, Nov. 4,
2026, where he is charged with counts of rape and sexual assault
against six women.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
 Bennathan said Brand’s entourage may
have written off the sexual assault as “laddish,” the boorish and
obnoxious behavior for which Brand was known and with which he
thought he could get away.
“It was outrageous and possibly laddish, but also a criminal sexual
offense, and as it turns out you haven’t got away with it,” the
judge said.
Rape victim felt ‘powerless’
A former fan he was convicted of anally raping at his home after
meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009 said that
she was left feeling anxious and humiliated and had difficulty
eating and sleeping, and went through periods of heavy drinking.
She said she spent months fearing that she might have contracted HIV
and that it took years for her to speak up. She only came forward
after police opened an investigation following the documentary.
“I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed,” she said
in the statement read by Karmy-Jones. “His fame, wealth and
influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.”
Winter, the defense lawyer, argued that Brand should be “regarded as
a man who went too far and overrode consent that had been given”
following consensual sex.
The judge noted how disrespectfully Brand had treated the woman,
including putting her in his phone contacts under “T” for “tart.”
A woman he was convicted of kissing and groping at a London radio
station in 2004 or 2005 said it had a lasting impact on her life.
“Since the sexual assault ... Russell Brand has managed to move on
and even forget,” she said. “Over the years, hearing his voice on
television, on social media or seeing his image made me jump.”
A woman says she was silenced by 'culture at the time’
The final conviction was for sexually assaulting a woman who said
the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin
during the recording of an advertisement in 2009.
“Immediately after the incident I spoke up, and sadly it was brushed
under the carpet by senior management," she said. “There was a
culture at the time which meant I felt I had to just carry on and
not talk about it anymore, which meant I did not give myself time to
lament on it, boxed it up and pushed it aside.”
Brand was acquitted of raping another woman in a hotel room during
the Labour Party’s annual conference in the seaside town of
Bournemouth in 1999, and of attempting to indecently assault a woman
by dragging her into the men’s bathroom at the London office of
music channel MTV.
The Associated Press doesn’t name victims of alleged sexual
violence, and British law protects their identities from the media
for life.
Brand, who was known for edgy stand-up routines and battles with
drugs and alcohol, rose to prominence in the early 2000s hosting
television programs and his own BBC radio show. He appeared in
Hollywood films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him
to the Greek” and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry.
In recent years he has moved away from mainstream media, relocated
to Florida and built a large online following with videos mixing
wellness, conspiracy theories and discussions of his religious
devotion.
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