A London judge on Monday sentenced comedian Russell Brand to 10 years in a British prison after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault last week.
Brand, 51, received nine years for the rape conviction alone.
The celebrity-turned-convict mouthed “I love you” to his wife, Laura, as he was led out of the courtroom Monday, the New York Post reported.
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“About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,” Judge Joel Bennathan said prior to the sentencing. “You were clever — and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”
Judge Bennathan told Brand that he “committed sexual offenses against a number of women over a five-year period.”
One incident involved him groping a woman at a party, the judge said, and the second incident saw Brand “humiliate” and commit “violence” against another woman by groping her at a party.
He said the third victim was anally raped by Brand at his London home in 2009.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors said Brand was a calculated “sexual predator” who targeted women at radio stations, recording studios, London’s MTV office, hotel rooms and in bar bathrooms between 1999 and 2009.
Brand’s defense team acknowledged in their closing statement last week that the comedian had a wild sex life during his drug-addled rise to stardom, but argued “none of it was unlawful.”
The defense blamed the criminal case on a 2023 documentary that included anonymous allegations against the comedian, with attorney Ian Winter saying the “well of justice had been corrupted and contaminated” by the production.
“It is not criminal to treat women unkindly before, during or after sex,” Mr. Winter said in closing. “It is not, I am afraid, criminal to be disrespectful or rude or to act like a crazy idiot.”
But a jury of eight men and four women felt differently, and found him guilty of attacking four of six accusers. He was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, while being acquitted of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Judge Bennathan said the comedian will likely serve about two-thirds of his sentence, or six years. London’s Metropolitan Police said they are looking into further rape accusations against the celebrity.
Brand became a British celebrity in the early 2000s by hosting TV programs and a BBC radio show.
His popularity grew in the U.S. when he starred in American-made films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.” Brand had a short, two-year marriage to American pop star Katy Perry.
Brand moved to Florida and garnered a large online following with videos covering his newfound religiosity, conspiracy theories and wellness routines.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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