Russell Brand sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for rape and sexual assault convictions

British media personality Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months imprisonment on Monday after being found guilty of rape and assault. 

He is required to spend at least two-thirds of that time in prison, and may be released under supervision after that if he displays good conduct while in jail.

Judge Joel Bennathan called Brand a "predator," and said that the sentence "just and proportionate...to the overall gravity of your criminality."

Bennathan also praised the "determination and bravery" of the survivors who came forward.

The 51-year-old had consistently denied the charges, brought about by six victims on allegations going back as far as 1999.

A jury of four women and eight men did not find his defense that all the encounters were consensual to be plausible, and found him guilty of raping or sexually assaulting four of his accusers.

Survivors, PM Burnham speak out

At the sentencing hearing, some of his victims gave victim impact statements to the court. 

"I wanted ‌to express how this crime has affected me over the years," one woman said from behind a screen to protect her privacy, adding that the attack led to  an "undeserved feeling of shame" she had carried for 20 years.

Another survivor called Brand a "sexual predator who has no remorse."

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham hailed the bravery of the survivors in a statement, and said his government would be "relentless in making whatever improvements we can” to provide more support for victims and make sure every police station has a sexual assault response team.

Who is Russell Brand?

Brand rose to prominence in the UK stand-up scene in the early 2000s with sets focused on his sex life, alcoholism, and heroin addiction.

He then became a presenter for several British televisions shows before starring in several Hollywood movies and being in a brief, high-profile marriage to American pop star Katy Perry.

As accusations of predatory behavior towards women began to mount, Brand left London and Hollywood behind for Florida. His politics changed from left-wing activism to promoting conservative ideas and conspiracy theories on his podcast.

He has said he underwent a religious conversion around this time. In 2016 he resumed his relationship with restauranteur Laura Gallacher, whom he first dated in 2007 when he was 31 and she was 19. They have since had three children together. Gallacher has remained by Brand's side throughout the court proceedings.