Russell Brand Jailed After Conviction on 1 Rape and 3 Sexual Assault Counts

Q: With a significant term looming, exactly how many years will the fallen star spend behind bars after Monday's sentencing?

It is not yet possible to say exactly how many years Russell Brand will spend in prison, because he has not been sentenced. The judge has only said a “significant” custodial term is inevitable, with sentencing due on Monday. What is known is that Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. In England and Wales, rape carries a very high maximum sentence and sexual assault can also attract substantial prison terms, but judges do not simply add maximums together. They sentence under detailed guidelines, weighing factors such as the seriousness of the rape, the nature of the sexual assaults, harm to the victims, abuse of status, and whether the terms should run concurrently or consecutively. So the honest answer is that no exact number can be given before Monday. The strongest evidence from the court record is that he is expected to receive a multi-year sentence, and serious enough that the judge remanded him in custody immediately rather than allowing him to remain on bail. If you want a practical shorthand: he is plainly facing years, not months, but the precise term will only be known when the court hands down sentence.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Nov 5

A prison van carrying Russell Brand left Southwark Crown Court after he was convicted of rape and three sexual assaults.
Brand is being taken to prison immediately and is due back at the court on Monday for sentencing.
Outside the court, photographers crowded around the van’s small windows as it drove away and a bystander shouted, “Hold onto Jesus, Russell.”