Russell Brand awaits sentencing as he faces significant prison time for rape and sexual assaults
LONDON — British comedian and actor Russell Brand was set to be sentenced Monday by a U.K.court and could face a lengthy prison term after being convicted of rape and sexual assault.It will complete a stunning fall from grace for Brand, 51, who found fame on both sides of the Atlantic chronicling his promiscuity and battles with addiction.He was found guilty last week of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
He had pleaded not guilty to all counts and denied all of the allegations.Brand appeared in the London court on Monday wearing a dark suit and at times making a sign of the cross, as the judge, Justice Joel Bennathan, prepared to hand down his sentence.The judge had said last week that Brand faced a “significant” prison term for his crimes.Under English law the maximum sentence for rape is life imprisonment, and 10 years for one count of sexual assault, according to Britain’s Sentencing Council.Brand’s female victims told the court on Monday — in person and in written statements — that they were still living with the trauma and effects in their daily lives.
“I’ve been in shock and turmoil for years,” one woman told the sentencing hearing, while another labeled him a “sexual predator” and said he appeared to show “no remorse.” Victims of alleged sexual offenses are granted anonymity for life, under British law.A court sketch of Russell Brand on Thursday.Elizabeth Cook / APSince Brand’s conviction, London’s Metropolitan Police said it had provided prosecutors with investigations into two more rape allegations against him.Brand’s case has renewed scrutiny on the ethics of the entertainment industry, through which Brand rose from a flamboyant British broadcaster and stand-up comedian to a star of Hollywood movies.After the four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, a jury of eight men and four women found Brand guilty of having anally raped a female fan at his home after she met him at one of his shows ...