British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. Judge Joel Bennathan told Brand that he showed a 'casual and arrogant disregard' for any woman to say no to him during sentencing remarks that put the crimes in the context of his rise to stardom. 'About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,' Bennathan said. 'You were clever – and in many people's eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.' The 51-year-old actor-comedian – known for outrageous stand-up routines and behaviour on television and radio broadcasts, along with drug and alcohol battles – had asserted he was innocent and all his encounters were consensual. But a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of attacking four of six accusers on allegations dating back to 2004. He was cleared of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Right before handing down Brand's sentence, Bennathan said he wanted to 'pay tribute to the determination and bravery of all the woman whose evidence I have been recounting.' He added, 'I do not increase your punishment because of it but all those women had to face being confronted and being told they lied, or twisted the truth, and or they'd agreed to your sexual demands. That was all done because of you, and your instructions.' Brand will eventually be eligible for parole, but only after serving two-thirds of his sentence. That means he will spent at least seven years behind bars, and, if granted parole, would have to serve the remainder of his sentence under supervision and abiding by specific rules.
Following Brand's conviction on Thursday, the actor was remanded into custody; he had been out on bail during his trial. 'A custodial sentence of some length will result,' the judge told Brand. The rape conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident where a woman said in a police interview that she went to Brand's home expecting to have consensual vaginal sex, but during intercourse Brand removed his condom and had anal sex with her. 'I said, 'Can you stop?'' she told police of the incident. 'I said it repeatedly.' The woman told some of her friends about the incident soon after, who later testified during Brand's trial. Brand testified that the anal sex was consensual and she never told him to stop. After Brand's rape trial, London's Met Police announced that two more women had come forward with allegations against the actor, which could result in more charges against Brand and another trial. Their investigation is ongoing.