Russell Brand has been sent to prison for 10 years and six months after a London jury found him guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The comedian, actor and online commentator, now 51, was sentenced on Monday, 9 November 2026, at Southwark Crown Court.
The sentence was handed down by Mr Justice Joel Bennathan, four days after a jury convicted Brand at the end of a four-week trial. Brand had pleaded not guilty to every charge and denied all of the allegations against him.
How the sentence breaks down
- 9 years for the rape conviction
- 18 months for the three sexual assault convictions, served on top of the rape term
- 10 years 6 months in total
- Expected to serve two-thirds, roughly seven years, before he can be released on licence
- Placed on the sex offenders register for life
Brand has been in custody since the verdict. The judge refused him bail after he was convicted, and he spent the days before sentencing at HMP Wandsworth in south-west London.
What Brand was convicted of
A jury of eight men and four women deliberated for more than eight hours over two days. They found Brand guilty of offences against four women between 2004 and 2009:
- Raping a female fan at his home in west London in 2009, after she met him at one of his shows
- Groping a woman at a bar in London in 2004
- Sexually assaulting a woman who worked at a London radio station in 2004 and 2005
- Sexually assaulting a woman during the filming of an advertisement in 2009
He was cleared of two further counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. In total he had faced seven charges involving six women, covering the period from 1999 to 2009.
Under UK law, the women who reported sexual offences have lifelong anonymity and cannot be named.
What the judge said
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Bennathan described Brand as a sexual predator. He told the court that as Brand became famous in the early 2000s he was seen by many as clever, funny and charismatic, and that this celebrity protected him for years. The judge said that protection only fell away in 2023, when the first allegations were published.
The judge also criticised what he called Brand’s staggering arrogance, saying Brand behaved as though his fame allowed him to do whatever he wanted and showed no regard for women’s right to refuse him.
Before the sentence was passed, victim impact statements from all four women were heard. Three were read out by the prosecution, and one woman read her own statement from behind a screen so that only the judge could see her.
Police and prosecutors react
The Crown Prosecution Service said after the verdict that Brand had been predatory and had used his celebrity status to commit sexual crimes. The Metropolitan Police called him a dangerous offender and credited the courage of the women who came forward for bringing him to justice.
Reports say Brand is also still under investigation by police over separate allegations made by two other women.
How the case unfolded
- September 2023: The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches publish a joint investigation in which several women accuse Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse. The Metropolitan Police opens an investigation.
- April 2025: The Crown Prosecution Service authorises charges including rape, sexual assault and indecent assault. Brand says in a video that he is not a rapist and welcomes the chance to defend himself in court.
- May 2025: Brand pleads not guilty at Southwark Crown Court.
- Autumn 2026: The trial runs for four weeks at Southwark Crown Court.
- 5 November 2026: The jury returns guilty verdicts on four counts and not guilty verdicts on three. Brand is remanded in custody.
- 9 November 2026: Brand is jailed for 10 years and six months.
From TV star to prison
Born in Grays, Essex, in 1975, Brand rose to fame in the UK in the early 2000s as a stand-up comedian and presenter on MTV and Channel 4’s Big Brother’s Big Mouth, and later hosted a show on BBC Radio 2. Hollywood followed, with roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek and Arthur. He was married to pop star Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012.
In recent years he stepped away from mainstream entertainment and built a large online following as an anti-establishment commentator, streaming on Rumble and speaking openly about his conversion to Christianity. Most of the offences he was convicted of took place during his rise to fame in the 2000s.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, support is available. In the UK you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222, and in India you can call the national women’s helpline on 181.
