British actor and comedian Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being convicted of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others in the United Kingdom.
The 51-year-old was sentenced on Monday, November 9, at Southwark Crown Court, days after a jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial.
He committed the offences between 2004 and 2009, during the height of his entertainment career.
Brand, who denied all the charges, was also acquitted of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
According to Reuters, Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand had abused his fame and believed it placed him above the rules governing the conduct of ordinary people.
The judge stressed that women retained the right to refuse sexual advances, regardless of what they wore, where they went or what they drank.
One of the women assaulted by Brand was a 21-year-old fan whom he raped in 2009 after meeting her at one of his comedy shows. The other convictions involved separate incidents with women working in the entertainment and media industries.
Brand, a former husband of American singer Katy Perry, rose to prominence as a comedian and television presenter before starring in Hollywood films, including Get Him to the Greek and Arthur.
He had maintained that the sexual encounters were consensual and denied ever engaging in non-consensual sex.
Following the sentencing
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