Russell Brand Sentenced to 10 Years and Six Months in Prison

Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault. Justice Joel Bennathan handed down the sentence at Southwark Crown Court in London, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Brand was found guilty on four of seven counts. A count is a separate charge, so each guilty finding covers one alleged offence. Three of the guilty counts were sexual assaults. The fourth was rape.

Six people made complaints against him. They accused him of rape and sexual assault, with the alleged incidents taking place between 1999 and 2009. The rape conviction relates to an assault in 2009 at Brand's home in Hampstead, north London. According to the same report, it happened after consensual vaginal sex.

Brand's defence was led by Ian Winter, a barrister, which is the British term for a lawyer who presents a case in court. The defence argued that journalists had "poisoned the well of justice" by publishing investigations into Brand's behaviour. Those investigations were carried out by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times.

Brand himself gave evidence during the trial. He said no one would "touch him with a bargepole", meaning nobody wanted to be associated with him. He also said he had failed to persuade anyone to testify on his behalf, which means to give evidence in court in support of him.

Jonathan Ross, the broadcaster, responded to the case. He said he was "horrified" by Brand's crimes and was "genuinely unaware" of his conduct.

The sentence closes the criminal case against Brand, which has been followed closely by the public since the investigations were published. For the six people who brought the complaints, the court's findings now stand on the record.