British actor Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. Royal Court judge Joel Bennathan handed down the ruling against the 51-year-old performer, infohub.kz reports.
Detailing the case, the judge recalled that Brand faced allegations of sexual harassment against women. According to investigators, in one episode the actor attacked a woman in a London pub and grabbed her breast. In another, he arrived at a radio station and began publicly molesting a female employee, touching and kissing her in front of other people.
The judge noted that three of the four offenses were committed in public places, in full view of others — in a bar, at a radio station and on a commercial shoot location. "These episodes demonstrate your belief that fame entitles you to behave however you like wherever you are, unconstrained by the rules by which decent people live," Judge Bennathan said.
According to investigators, in 2009 Brand committed anal rape of a 21-year-old fan, then removed the condom and ejaculated into the victim, and also terrified her by making her fear HIV infection. Reading out the ruling, Judge Bennathan repeatedly called Brand a "sexual predator."
Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The total sentence amounted to 10.5 years. According to the judge, Russell Brand must serve two-thirds of that term before he can be considered for parole. That means the actor will spend at least seven years behind bars.
Recall that in April 2025 it became known that police had charged the British actor Russell Brand with rape and sexual assault against four women between 1999 and 2005. Police attention to Brand was prompted by a 2023 investigation jointly conducted by The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers and Channel 4 television. On November 6, 51-year-old Russell Brand was found guilty of raping a fan and assaulting three other women.