Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
British comedian Russell Brand has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years after he was convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three more about two decades ago.
Brand – the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry who in recent years moved away from the mainstream – was convicted on Thursday of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three more between 2004 and 2009.
He had denied all the charges.
The 51-year-old stood in the dock at London’s Southwark Crown Court as Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced him, describing Brand as a sexual predator who believed “fame meant you could act how you liked, when you liked”.
Earlier, one of Brand’s victims, whom Brand anally raped in 2009, said in a statement read by prosecutors that the trauma of the attack was “something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending”.
Brand’s lawyer Ian Winter said Brand – who has spoken at length about his recovery from drink and drug addiction and his new-found Christian faith – was “a fundamentally different person today and has been for a very long time”.
Brand showed no emotion as he was sentenced but told his wife Laura Gallacher “we’ll be okay” as he was taken away by the dock officers.
The couple shared a brief conversation before Brand was taken downstairs.
Gallacher was seen breathing deeply and muttering “it’s okay, it’s okay” as a large posse of people ushered her through the corridors of the court.
Earlier on Monday, Brand started to pray and also told his wife “it’ll be okay” as he entered the dock to be sentenced.
Brand has spent the last four nights in HMP Wandsworth, before being brought back to court on Monday to be sentenced by the judge.
As he entered the dock, Brand turned to his wife in the public gallery and mouthed: “It’ll be okay, I don’t know how, but it will”.
Gallacher said “oh God” as she saw Brand enter the dock, before telling him: “I love you”.
Brand was also seen holding a crucifix, making the sign of the cross with his hand and saying a prayer as one of his victims entered court to deliver a victim impact statement.
Brand’s father Ronald Brand was also in court as part of Brand’s nine-strong entourage.
Asked how his son would cope in prison, Ronald Brand told reporters: “Yeah, he’s strong, he’s strong,” as he left the court following the sentencing.
Asked how his daughter-in-law Laura Gallacher would hold up with her husband in prison, Ronald Brand said: “She’s strong as well.”
Brand, who was known for edgy stand-up routines and battles with drugs and alcohol, rose to prominence in the early 2000s hosting television programs and his own BBC radio show.
He appeared in Hollywood films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.
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1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
