Russell Brand spent his first night in prison after being convicted of rape and three sexual assaults, having previously admitted to his wife that he was frightened by the prospect of being incarcerated.
The 51-year-old comedian was taken from Southwark Crown Court to a south London jail after the verdicts were delivered and is due to return to court for sentencing on Monday. He has been warned that he faces a significant custodial term.
Brand was said to be deeply distressed after arriving at the prison at about 6pm. He underwent a medical examination, security checks and a strip search before being placed in a cell in the induction wing.
His clothing and personal belongings were removed, with his grey and black pinstripe suit, waistcoat and cowboy-style boots replaced by prison-issued clothing. He was also assessed for mental-health concerns, substance misuse and the risk of self-harm, in line with procedures for new inmates.
Brand was allowed one brief telephone call, believed to have been made to his wife, Laura Gallacher, who supported him throughout the four-week trial. His telephone access will then be restricted while numbers are approved and a personal identification number is issued.
He was reportedly kept under close supervision and prevented from mixing with other prisoners because of his celebrity status and the nature of his convictions. He was held either at Wandsworth or Belmarsh, although the exact prison was not disclosed.
Brand admitted fear of prison during trial recording
Brand had spoken publicly about his fear of prison before the jury was selected. During an episode of the couple’s Sunday Service programme recorded on October 11, he interrupted a discussion about his Christian faith to tell Gallacher: “I don’t like things where it’s like you might have to go to prison.”
Gallacher replied: “Yeah, I know, but that is just the nature of what a trial is.”
On another occasion, when asked by Piers Morgan whether he had considered the reality that he could go to jail, Brand said: “I will be with God wherever I am.”
Gallacher left Southwark Crown Court in tears after the convictions. A supporter’s message, read aloud by his wife, told Brand that God would be with him in prison and that he would get through the experience.
Brand had been on bail during the trial and appeared to be unprepared for immediate imprisonment, apparently arriving at court without an overnight bag. After the verdicts, his legal team asked for him to be allowed to say goodbye to Gallacher and their three children, but the request was refused.
He was taken from the dock to a holding cell beneath the court before being escorted by prison officers to a secure van. Brand kept his head lowered as photographers gathered outside.
In prison, he was given basic bedding, toiletries and food after arriving too late for the evening meal. A first-night pack included cereal, tea, milk, sugar, biscuits and other snacks. He was also provided with prison clothing and a Bible, which he was allowed to keep.
His cell contained a fixed bed with a mattress, a stainless-steel toilet and wash basin, and a bolted-down table and stool. Prison staff carried out regular checks during the night.
The jury found Brand guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman he met after a 2009 show at the Hammersmith Apollo. He was also convicted of sexually assaulting a Capital Radio worker in 2005 and a Channel 4 worker during a forced massage in 2009.
He was found guilty of groping an MTV worker at a Soho bar in 2004, but cleared of orally raping her in a toilet. Brand was also cleared of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show during the 1999 Labour Party conference and of attempting to indecently assault another MTV worker in 2001.
The judge, Mr Justice Bentham, told Brand that the convictions, including one for rape, meant that “the consequence of that is inevitably a significant custodial term”.
Brand’s lawyers are understood to be considering an appeal on the grounds that he did not receive a fair trial. He is expected to decide how to proceed after sentencing.
