Russell Brand’s father has criticized the British justice system after the comedian was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for rape and sexual assault.
Asked whether he had a message for his son’s accusers, Ronald Brand told reporters Nov. 9, “The victim? What, Russell? The girls, you mean, who chased him and harassed him? Is that what you mean?”
“I don’t care, it’s a system,” Ronald continued in footage published by Sky News. “I don’t believe it on the basis of what I’ve just watched. See, if we’ve got social media, it’s easy to find the right jury. Go on Facebook and see what sorts of things.”
When asked whether he believed the jury had been “corrupted,” Ronald replied, “I’m saying it’s possible. Are you saying it’s not possible?”
Asked how he thought the 51-year-old would cope in prison, Ronald declared, “He’s strong.”
Although the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor described his father as a “sporadic presence” in his life in his 2007 memoir, Ronald has remained a vocal defender of his son.
In a 2023 Facebook post, Ronald accused the media of pursuing what he called “The Russell Brand Vendetta.”
“Is this seriously the most important thing happening in this world?” Ronald wrote at the time, according to ITV News. “Immigrants? Cost of living? Tens of thousands killed in Ukraine?”
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Russell had faced sexual assault allegations for years. Most recently, six women testified that he had assaulted them between 1999 and 2009. He pleaded not guilty and maintained that all of his sexual encounters had been consensual.
On Nov. 5, he was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four women. He was acquitted of two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
A judge ruled that he must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be released under supervision.
Brand appeared unemotional as the verdict was read, mouthing only “I’m OK” and “I’m good” before he was escorted from the courtroom.
Senior Crown Prosecutor David Roberts praised the women who came forward.
“We want to thank all the women who were at the heart of this case,” he said in a Nov. 9 statement. “They did not know each other, and each has carried what happened to them for almost two decades.”
“Today’s sentence cannot undo the harm the victims have lived with,” Roberts added, “but we hope it brings them some measure of justice.”