Russell Brand jailed for 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault. The 51-year-old entertainer was sentenced on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Judge Joel Bennathan called him a "sexual predator" and criticised his "staggering arrogance".

What happened?

Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four women between 2004 and 2009. The verdicts came on Thursday, after a four-week trial.

The rape sentence was nine years. It relates to an attack on a 21-year-old woman at his London home in 2009. For the three sexual assaults, he received 18 months, nine months and eight months. They involved incidents at a London bar in 2004, at the Choice FM studios in 2004 or 2005, and during a Channel 4 project in 2009.

Brand was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.

What did the judge and the women say?

The judge said Brand's fame protected him until 2023. That year, reports by the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4's Dispatches led to women going to police. He said Brand had a "casual arrogant disregard to any woman's right to say no" and that his entourage had "indulged" his behaviour.

The court also heard victim impact statements. One woman said she had been in "shock and turmoil for years". The woman Brand was found to have raped said she is "living with trauma" and no longer trusts her instincts. The judge praised the women's bravery.

Brand did not react as he was sentenced. He mouthed "I love you" to his wife Laura, who was in court. His barrister said she and Brand were struggling to explain events to their 10-year-old child. The judge acknowledged the sentence would deprive his children of their father, but said that loss was "caused by your serious offending".

What's next?

Brand is expected to serve two thirds of the sentence in custody, which is seven years. After release he will spend the rest of the term on licence, a form of supervision with conditions such as wearing an electronic tag. Sex offenders are excluded from the early release scheme.

He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders Register automatically.

Brand was charged in April 2025 and pleaded not guilty two months later. That chapter now ends with Monday's sentence.