Brand to be sentenced for rape and sexual assault today
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Brand → sentence → rape
Russell Brand will be sentenced today after being found guilty of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others in seperate incidents between 2005-2009.
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Brand → sentence → 2005
The disgraced former comedian and Hollywood star has been behind bars since he was convicted by a jury last Thursday, denied bail by his trial judge who ruled that he posed a flight risk.
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he → convict → risk
During the four-week trial, prosecutors had argued that Brand was a ruthless, calculating, manipulative “sexual predator” who pursued women relentlessly and exploited his fame and power to get what he wanted from them sexually.
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he → argue → them
The 51-year-old father of three is now facing a “significant” prison term, Justice Joel Bennathan said last week.
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Bennathan → face → term
The sentencing is taking place in Southwark Crown Court in London and commences at 10:30am GMT.
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sentencing → take → GMT
I’ll bring you all the developments.
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I → bring → developments
Following his conviction last week, the Met Police revealed that they were investigating further rape allegations against Brand, including one involving a then 16-year-old girl.
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they → follow → girl
The Met said they had already questioned Brand on further complaints from two other women, and have submitted the files to crown prosecutors.
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they → say → prosecutors
The lead detective in the case, Det Supt Andy Furphy, told the Guardian last week he believed there could be more victims.
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he → tell → Guardian
If you get a conviction then it tends to encourage other people to come forward because they see the courage and the bravery and the resilience that these women have had to go through this criminal justice process, and they feel their own strength as a result of that.
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they → get → that
They want to come forward and have their story told.
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story → want → ?
The Met’s investigation into Brand, named Operation Actinolite, involved tracing and speaking to more than 100 witnesses, reviewing more than 1,400 documents and taking more than 340 statements, including from Brand’s former employers, colleagues and associates.
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investigation → name → employers
Brand has also been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at his mansion in Los Angeles in 2008, in a civil claim filed at the high court in London.
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Brand → accuse → London
The former actor-comedian was transported to Southwark Crown Court in a white prison van.
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comedian → transport → van
He was held at HMP Wandsworth on the weekend.
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He → hold → weekend
His wife, Laura Brand, who has been a steadfast and loyal supporter by his side, has also just entered the court.
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who → enter → court
She gave testimony on his behalf, attesting to his good character during the trial.
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She → give → trial
The actor-comedian had been free but was taken into custody immediately after the jury returned the guilty verdicts last Thursday.
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jury → take → verdicts
His defence lawyer Ian Winter KC had put in a plea for bail, arguing for Brand to have the weekend to say goodbye to his wife and three children.
But this was rejected by Justice Bennathan on the grounds that Brand, with his money and connections, posed a flight risk.
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Brand → put → risk
There were substantial grounds to “fear he might in the end not feel able to come along and face his sentence”, the judge said.
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judge → be → sentence
I regret the hardship caused to the children, of course.
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I → regret → course
But the hardship has been caused by serious criminal offending by their father.
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hardship → cause → father
Sitting in the courtroom last week, Brand had closed his eyes when the guilty verdict for the rape charge was read out.
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verdict → sit → charge
After his bail was denied, he gestured OK to his lawyers and repeated “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good”, before being taken away by guards.
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I → deny → guards
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for more than eight hours last week to return a unanimous verdict where they found Brand guilty on four of the seven charges.
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Brand → deliberate → charges
He was found guilty of one count of rape and three incidents of sexual assault.
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He → find → assault
He was acquitted of two rape counts and one attempted incident.
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He → acquit → counts
Brand had pleaded not guilty to all the offences, telling the court he believed he never had non-consensual sex.
But the jury found he had committed crimes against four women between 2004-2009 in different locations, in a central London bar, a radio station, recording studio and his former home in Hampstead, London.
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he → plead → Hampstead
He was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman at a colleague’s birthday party in a bar in Soho, London in 2004, but found not guilty of orally raping her in a bathroom.
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He → convict → bathroom
He was found guilty of kissing and groping another woman at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005
He was convicted of anally raping a fan at his home after meeting her backstage at one of his comedy shows in 2009
He was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman who says the comedian demanded a massage and pressed his face into her groin during an advert recording in 2009.
He was acquitted of raping another woman in a hotel room during the Labour Party annual conference in Bournemouth in 1999, and of attempting to indecently assault a woman by dragging her into the bathrooms in the London offices of MTV music channel.
Brand to be sentenced for rape and sexual assault today
Frances Mao
Good morning.
asserted
Brand → find → rape
Russell Brand will be sentenced today after being found guilty of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others in seperate incidents between 2005-2009.
asserted
Brand → sentence → 2005
The disgraced former comedian and Hollywood star has been behind bars since he was convicted by a jury last Thursday, denied bail by his trial judge who ruled that he posed a flight risk.
asserted
he → convict → risk
During the four-week trial, prosecutors had argued that Brand was a ruthless, calculating, manipulative “sexual predator” who pursued women relentlessly and exploited his fame and power to get what he wanted from them sexually.
asserted
he → argue → them
The 51-year-old father of three is now facing a “significant” prison term, Justice Joel Bennathan said last week.
asserted
Bennathan → face → term
The sentencing is taking place in Southwark Crown Court in London and commences at 10:30am GMT.
asserted
sentencing → take → GMT
I’ll bring you all the developments.
asserted
I → bring → developments
The Aporia
