Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison on Monday following his conviction for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The trial, held at London’s Southwark Crown Court, concerned offenses committed against four women between 2004 and 2009. While Brand pleaded not guilty to all charges, a jury convicted him on Thursday while acquitting him of two additional counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
Their relationship progressed rapidly; they announced their engagement in January 2010 and married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India, on October 23, 2010.
The end of the marriage was marked by a text message Brand sent to Perry on New Year’s Eve 2011, informing her of his intent to divorce.
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This moment was captured for Perry’s 2012 documentary, Katy Perry: Part of Me, which depicted the singer sobbing backstage moments before she was scheduled to perform for a large crowd. Perry later told Vogue in 2013 that she had not spoken to Brand since receiving that text.
“He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour.” “So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting,” Perry said.
“I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day. I let go, and I was like: This isn’t because of me, this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that,” she explained.
A source close to the singer later said that Perry realized after the marriage ended that Brand “wasn’t who she thought he was.”
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Perry was not asked to provide a witness statement during the investigation into Brand.
Lead prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC noted in pretrial submissions that the prosecution recognized matters involving the relationship might be sensitive and agreed to remove references to the marriage from the opening statement, as reported by The Telegraph. Despite this, the marriage remained a topic during the trial; Brand testified that the relationship brought him “staggering fame.”
A 2010 red-carpet interview involving the couple also resurfaced following the conviction, drawing scrutiny from viewers who labeled the exchange “disturbing.” In the footage, Perry was asked how she dealt with Brand, to which she replied, “Um… No, he’s actually hilarious. He leaves me speechless. Usually I’m the bubbly one and I’m just like, ‘Oh my god, you’re so funny.’”
While participating in an audience game, she remarked, “I hope my ex isn’t here. He should be in jail,” as reported by The Mirror. While she did not name Brand, the comment gained significant attention online following the verdict.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said that Brand had used his “influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women.” Brand, who reconnected with Laura Gallacher in 2015 and married her in 2017, maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.