Russell Brand Sentencing Live: Comedian Arrives in Court, Mouthed “Are You OK?” to Wife

Ian Winter KC, the lead barrister for Brand, asked the court to be merciful, telling Sky News that his client has changed fundamentally since the events in question.

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Winter maintained the four incidents being sentenced were isolated episodes rather than part of a sustained pattern, and pointed out it has been more than 15 years since the last reported assault.

The judge appeared unconvinced by that line of mitigation, observing that the fact Brand had not been held to account sooner did not necessarily amount to a major reason for leniency.

Brand’s lawyer further argued that the offenses took place during a period when his client was struggling to cope with an abrupt rise to fame, saying the misconduct was connected to that turmoil.

Winter also characterized one of the incidents — an anal rape of a woman — as a brief, regrettable lapse in respecting consent, claiming it occurred after a separate instance of consensual vaginal sex with the same woman.

Deputy prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC urged the judge to impose a severe term, highlighting the humiliation and degradation endured by Brand’s victims, in particular the woman who was raped.

The prosecutor reminded the court that after the rape the victim was instructed by Brand to “clean up,” underscoring the callousness of his behavior.

Karmy-Jones described Brand as a high-risk offender and said his sentence should reflect that assessment.

A third impact statement, from a woman assaulted by Brand in 2005, outlined the lasting consequences the attack has had on her life. She said the assault seriously damaged her working relationships and her ability to carry out her job.

“Russell Brand has moved on and, it seems, even forgotten that he assaulted me violently in public and in front of others,” she wrote.

She added that she had been advised to seek therapy for the severe anxiety she developed following the incident.

Brand appeared stoic as victim statements were read aloud in court, but was observed manipulating a set of white rosary beads, running them through his fingers.

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His wife, Laura, clasped the hand of a female companion and shook her head as the statements were delivered.

One of the complainants — the fifth — who says she was anally raped by Brand at his home in 2009, read a statement describing the persistent fear she has lived with since the assault.

In words presented by the prosecution’s lead counsel, she detailed both the physical and emotional pain she continues to endure, saying, “It’s something I carry every day and it often feels like it will never end.”