UK's Russell Brand sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in jail for rape, sexual assault

Comedian Russell Brand, once one of Britain’s most high-profile broadcasters and a Hollywood star, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday after he was convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three more around two decades ago. asserted

Brand — the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry who in recent years moved away from the mainstream — was convicted on Thursday of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three more between 2004 and 2009. asserted

He had denied all the charges. asserted

The 51-year-old stood in the dock at London’s Southwark Crown Court as Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced him to 10 years and six months, saying he would serve two-thirds in custody before being released on licence. Brand was a sexual predator who believed “fame meant you could act how you liked, when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live”, Bennathan told Brand. Brand mouthed “I love you” to his wife before he was led away by dock officers and down to the cells. Earlier, one of Brand’s victims, whom Brand anally raped in 2009, said in a statement read by prosecutors that the trauma of the attack was “something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending”. uncertain

Brand’s lawyer Ian Winter said Brand — who has spoken at length about his recovery from drink and drug addiction and his new-found Christian faith — was “a fundamentally different person today and has been for a very long time”. asserted

London’s Metropolitan Police has said Brand is under investigation for two other alleged rapes, one involving a then-16-year-old girl, and the head of the force said on Friday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if many more came forward”. asserted

Brand, who starred in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Get Him to the Greek” and “Arthur”, had denied ever having non-consensual sex. asserted

He was acquitted of two other rape charges and an attempted indecent assault. asserted