By Sam Tobin
LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) – 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 others around two decades ago.
Brand – the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry who in recent years moved away from the mainstream – was found guilty on Thursday of committing the offences between 2004 and 2009. He had denied the charges.
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 in prison. Brand will serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody before being released on licence.
The judge said 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”.
“Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no and to demand justice from the criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Russell Brand, act without their consent,” Bennathan said.
Brand mouthed “I love you” to his wife before he was led down to the cells.
POLICE PRAISE VICTIMS’ COURAGE
Speaking outside court, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy from London’s Metropolitan Police paid tribute to Brand’s victims, saying, “they have shown immense bravery, dignity and resilience”.
“Their courage in coming forward has not only led to this outcome but may also give confidence to others who have suffered sexual violence to seek help and report what happened to them,” he added.
The Met has said Brand was under investigation for two other alleged rapes, one involving a then-16-year-old girl, and the force’s chief Mark Rowley said on Friday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if many more came forward”.
Brand, who rose to fame as a television presenter known for his loquacious manner and flamboyant appearance and starred in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Get Him to the Greek” and “Arthur”, had denied ever having non-consensual sex.
He acknowledged in evidence he had dedicated a lot of his life to what he described as “reckless philandering and idiocy”, though he said sexual consent was fundamental.
But, after a four-week trial, Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three sexual assaults. He was acquitted of two other rape charges and an attempted indecent assault.
BRAND ‘ABUSED HIS FAME’
One of Brand’s victims, who accused Brand of sexually assaulting her in 2004 and then orally raping her, said the attack had left her traumatised. Brand was convicted of sexually assaulting her but acquitted of rape.
“That undeserved feeling of shame and ‘what if I had done this or done that’ has been carried round inside me for over 20 years,” she said from behind a screen.
Another of Brand’s victims, whom Brand anally raped in 2009, said in a statement read by prosecutors that the trauma “often feels never-ending” and that she did not report the attack at the time because of Brand’s status.
“I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed,” she said. “His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.”
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones told the court that “Brand abused his influence and the power that came with his fame”, and his trial has renewed scrutiny of how Britain’s entertainment industry treats stars accused of abusing their position.
Britain’s culture minister Lisa Nandy said on Sunday that there was still a problem with sexual abuse in the media industry.
Police and prosecutors, however, insisted that fame or the passage of time would not prevent criminal charges.
“No matter who the abuser is, or what the situation or circumstances are, we will always take allegations of rape and sexual assault seriously,” David Roberts from the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Alex Richardson and Kate Holton)
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