British comedian and TV star Russell Brand was Monday jailed for more than 10 years for a string of sex offences including rape, as the judge told him he had been a "sexual predator" whose fame had protected him.
Brand, 51, showed no emotion as judge Joel Bennathan said he had acted with "staggering arrogance" and shown "contempt" for his victims, who had suffered significant and lasting harm.
"About 20 years ago Russell Brand, you were becoming famous, you were clever, and in many people's eyes you were funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator," he said.
The judge said Brand's status protected him until he was exposed in 2023 by journalists from the Sunday Times, The Times and the Channel 4 Dispatches programme, leading to women coming forward to make complaints to police.
Bennathan paid tribute to the "determination and bravery" of the women, adding Brand had repeatedly acted "how you liked and when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live".
Brand's wife Laura Gallacher, with whom he has three children, slumped in her seat in the public gallery of London's Southwark Crown Court as the total sentence of 10 years and six months was announced.
Brand told his wife, who has supported him in court throughout the case, "we'll be OK", before being led down to the cells.
The disgraced star was convicted by a jury last week of one rape and three sexual assaults committed against four women between 2004 and 2009.
Brand, who has reinvented himself as an online Christian guru, held a string of prayer beads and made the sign of the cross before one of his victims personally read out her impact statement from behind a screen.
She said she had been left "traumatised" by the assault in a London bar in 2004.
"For many years as his star was rising it was impossible to escape seeing him all over the media, being celebrated for his disgusting behaviour against women like it was all a joke," she told the court.
A second woman, a 21-year-old fan he raped in 2009 after they met at one of his shows, told the court she had felt she simply would "not be believed" if she reported him.
"His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless," she said.
The hearing came as Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to be "relentless in making whatever improvements we can" to provide more support for victims.
Brand was cleared of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault. But he is facing further investigations after London police revealed rape allegations by two more women.
From Channel 4 to MTV and an eponymous primetime show on BBC Radio 2, the wild-haired comedian's obsession with sex and his no-holds barred delivery contributed to his notoriety.
Brand denied the charges, but he admitted to being "extremely promiscuous" and using his fame to "facilitate sexual access".
Born to working-class parents in Essex, east of London, in 1975, Brand dropped out of drama school before joining MTV at the age of 25.
He had his own radio show at the BBC, which last week apologised for the "culture and failings" when Brand worked there between 2006 and 2008.
Brand left the BBC after leaving a well-known actor sexually explicit messages on his answering machine about having slept with his granddaughter.
He made a foray into Hollywood after a brief marriage in 2010 to US pop star Katy Perry.
The court found him guilty of sexual assaults against an MTV worker, a Channel 4 worker and a Capital Radio employee, as well as raping a fan.
The organisations that propped up Brand for years are now facing questions about how he continued for so long.
British culture minister Lisa Nandy said men in power were still exploiting women in the media industry, saying his case was a "wake-up call".
Speaking outside court, the lead detective in the case Andy Furphy said the sentence was a "milestone" that had seen Brand finally "held accountable for his crimes".
And he praised the "immense bravery, dignity and resilience" of the victims who had had "to revisit deeply traumatic experiences".
As he left court, Brand's father Ron Brand told reporters his son had been a "victim" and that both Russell and his daughter-in-law would be alright.
"Yeah, he's strong, he's strong," he said, when asked how his son would cope in jail, adding "she's strong as well", referring to Laura. - AFP
