Disgraced Russell Brand showed no sign of emotion, regret or remorse today as he was sentenced to a total of ten years and six months in jail for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
The disgraced entertainer’s only concern seemed to be for himself as he repeatedly turned to his wife Laura Gallacher in what appeared to be a self-centred bid to convince her to stand by him.
As one of the women Brand attacked bravely prepared to read her victim impact statement from behind a screen inside court, Brand turned away from her and towards his wife who was sitting behind him in the public gallery.
He then mouthed through the glass: “It’ll be okay, I don’t know how, but it will.”
Follow our live coverage of Russell Brand’s sentencing here
It was the second time in as many minutes he had turned his back on the courtroom after previously turning round to tell his wife “I love you”.
Laura appeared on the verge of tears as she smiled at him, nodded, and mouthed back: “I love you”. The couple, including Brand who had been clutching prayer beads, then gave each other a thumbs up.
It was hard not to feel sorry for Laura, who loyally supported her husband throughout his almost four week trial and even gave evidence in court as part of his defence.
She appeared to slump lower and lower in her seat as the hearing went on.
But the behaviour summed up Brand’s arrogance towards his victims, including the woman, who was attacked by him in a bar in London’s Soho district.
Brand was later seen mouthing to his wife “we’ll be OK… I love you” while being led back to the cells to begin his jail sentence. And he even appeared to wink and then nod at his wife and members of his entourage while clutching a crucifix in his hands.
I was sitting just feet away from Brand, who was behind glass inside the dock inside Courtroom One, throughout today’s sentencing hearing.
He appeared to glance at me on a number of occasions as I looked towards him in an attempt to spot any sign of contrition. But, if truth be told, I felt as though he was looking through me.
He showed no emotion as heartbreaking victim impact statements from his four victims were read to the court, which included each of them telling how his crimes had and continue to affect them.
There was not a flicker of recognition as the judge announced his sentence, which included rape nine years in jail for the rape and three separate sentences of 18 months in jail for his attack on a radio worker, nine months in jail for his attack on a woman in a bar and eight months in jail for sexually assaulting a Channel 4 staffer.
He also appeared to be callously unaffected as the judge blasted him for his crimes and accused him of being a liar.
Mr Justice Joel Bennathan told Brand: “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous. You were clever and, in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.
“Your status protected you until 2023 when journalists collected and published the allegations that were broadcast as a Channel 4 documentary and in articles in the Times newspapers.
“Those public declarations that you were a sex offender empowered a number of women to come forward and tell their stories of your activities many years before.”
“Your victim in count three was a professional woman at the party of a man you both knew. It was July 2004, and she had seen you on the television and wanted to be introduced you, as she thought you were funny.
“You were told there was a woman who wanted to meet you. That was all you needed to feel entitled to grab her breasts as she sat talking to you.
“In your trial you said you had never touched a woman sexually without her consent, and that included this woman. In the light of the jury’s verdicts, that was one of a series of lies you told.”
The judge also appeared to criticise Brand’s defence during the trial, which has led to calls for courts to crack down on rape myths.
He said: “Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no and to demand justice from the criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Russell Brand, act without their consent.”
Brand will have to serve seven years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.
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