Russell Brand returns to London court to face sentencing for sexual offences

British comedian and actor Russell Brand will be sentenced today at Southwark Crown Court in London after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault, the Guardian, thejournal.ie, and RTE all reported. The 51 year old comedian was convicted on Thursday by a jury of eight men and four women who deliberated for more than eight hours, according to the Guardian, thejournal.ie, and RTE. [1][2][3][4][5]

Brand was found guilty of raping a young fan he met after a show at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009, as well as three counts of sexually assaulting women between 2004 and 2009, thejournal.ie and RTE reported. The Guardian noted that the jury found Brand guilty on four of seven total charges. The trial judge, Mr Justice Joel Bennathan, denied Brand bail after ruling he was a flight risk and ordered him to start his prison sentence immediately, according to the Guardian and RTE. [1][2][3][4]

The jury found Brand not guilty of raping a woman he met at a 1999 Labour Party conference cabaret show, indecently assaulting an MTV worker in 2001, and another sexual assault charge, thejournal.ie reported. Mr Justice Joel Bennathan had warned Brand that he faces a significant prison term, according to the Guardian and the Independent. [1][2][7]

Brand rose to prominence as a reality television host before starring in Hollywood films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, and Arthur [12]. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Brand applied to transfer ownership of his 5 million pound Oxfordshire home to his wife weeks before his trial concluded and is currently being held at HMP Wandsworth [14]. [12][14]

During the sentencing hearing, the judge is expected to hear victim impact statements from the women and legal submissions from lawyers, RTE reported. Prosecutors described Brand during the four week trial as a sexual predator who exploited his fame, according to the Guardian. [1][3][4]