Russell Brand has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years for rape and sexual assault by a judge who condemned him as a “sexual predator” whose “entourage indulged your dreadful behaviour”.
asserted
entourage → jail → behaviour
The court heard harrowing accounts from his victims, including one woman who described feeling like “damaged goods” and another who said Brand’s fame and influence had left her feeling “powerless”.
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fame → hear → her
Outside court, his father Ron Brand sparked controversy by questioning the victims, while members of the public shouted abuse at a departing prison van.
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members → spark → van
Brand was found guilty on Thursday, November 5, of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after standing trial on seven charges: three of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault.
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Brand → find → assault
He was acquitted of three counts.
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He → acquit → counts
According to the Sentencing Council, Brand is likely to serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody before being released on licence, where he will be required to follow specific conditions, such as wearing a tag.
uncertain
he → accord → tag
His sentence is not included in the new early release scheme.
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sentence → include → scheme
Judge brands Brand a ‘sexual predator’ as he hands down 10-and-a-half-year sentence
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he → brand → sentence
Mr Justice Bennathan delivered a damning assessment of Brand's behaviour as he sentenced the former comedian, telling him he had become a “sexual predator” at the height of his rise to fame.
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he → deliver → fame
“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous You were clever – and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic.
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You → become → eyes
You had also become a sexual predator,” the judge said at the start of sentencing.
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judge → become → sentencing
He accused Brand of telling a “series of lies” and showing “contempt” for his sexual partners, describing his attitude as one of “staggering arrogance”.
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He → accuse → arrogance
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The judge also criticised those around the comedian, telling him: “your entourage indulged your dreadful behaviour”.
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entourage → read → behaviour
Brand showed no emotion as the 10-year-and-six-month sentence was handed down.
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sentence → show → emotion
But as dock officers prepared to take him downstairs, he turned to his wife and told her “we’ll be OK”.
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we → prepare → her
The couple shared a brief conversation before Brand was led away.
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Brand → share → conversation
Brand tells wife ‘it’ll be OK, I don’t know how’ in courtroom exchange
As he entered the dock, the comedian took a long look towards those gathered to support him and reassured his wife: “it’ll be OK, I don’t know how, but it will”.
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it → tell → wife
Gallacher responded “oh God” as her husband walked into the dock, before telling him “I love you” when he turned to face her.
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he → respond → her
Brand continued mouthing words to his wife before identifying himself to the court as proceedings got under way.
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proceedings → continue → way
The pair also exchanged nods as Mr Justice Bennathan outlined how the sentencing hearing would unfold.
Brave victim tells court she felt like ‘damaged goods’ after sexual assault
One of the most powerful moments of the hearing came as a woman sexually assaulted by Brand in a Soho bar in 2004 described the lasting impact of his actions on her life.
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woman → exchange → life
Delivering her victim impact statement live from behind a protective curtain, she told the court how the assault had shattered her self-worth and affected her relationships for years.
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assault → deliver → years
“I wanted to express how this crime has affected me over the years.
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crime → want → years
“When it happened, I was in complete shock and turmoil for weeks trying to process what had happened to me.
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what → happen → me
“I was extremely upset and traumatised.
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I → upset → ?
“It really affected how I viewed myself, I didn’t have any respect for myself and got into situations with toxic men as I didn’t have any self-worth.
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I → affect → worth
“I literally lost any love for myself for a long time thinking that I was damaged goods.”
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I → lose → time
She also described the distress of watching Brand become increasingly famous while his behaviour towards women was celebrated in public.
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behaviour → describe → public
“For many years as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke.
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it → rise → women
“There were many times I felt visibly sick at the sight of him parading around thinking he can get away with anything.
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he → be → anything
“Over the years I tried not to think about it and get on with my life – I had a beautiful daughter who helped me to heal and learn to love myself again and to try and be the best mum in the world for her.”
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me → try → her
The woman told the court that waiting to speak publicly about her ordeal had also taken a toll.
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waiting → tell → toll
“I felt like my life was on hold for all of that time waiting my time to speak out about what happened to me.”
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what → feel → me
She ended her statement with a saying she told the court she had “read the other day”.
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she → end → court
“As they say a leopard may change its spots but at the end of the day it’s still a leopard and not a gazelle.”
uncertain
it → say → day
Rape victim says Brand’s fame and influence left her feeling ‘powerless’
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fame → say → her
Another woman told the court that Brand's celebrity status had made her afraid to speak out about being raped, fearing she would not be believed if she reported him.
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she → tell → him
In a victim impact statement read aloud by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, the woman described how his wealth, fame and influence had created an imbalance of power.
“
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wealth → read → power
The defendant’s public profile had a significant impact on me – because of who he was and the influence he held, I did not feel confident speaking openly about what had happened.
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what → have → was
“I did not know who I could trust or confide in.
uncertain
I → know → who
I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed.
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I → feel → him
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
