Russell Brand declared “I am not guilty” in a new statement read by his wife on his YouTube channel Sunday, days after a London court sentenced him to prison on rape and sexual assault charges.
The 51-year-old comedian and former actor was sentenced Nov. 9 to 10 1/2 years in prison after a London court found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and denied all of the allegations.
In a new YouTube video, Brand’s wife, Laura Brand, read the statement on his behalf.
“So, Russell has asked me to read something to you today: ‘Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, God bless you for your support. As you know, I am not guilty for the offenses I have been jailed for, so something strange is happening,’” she said.
“I am incarcerated in HMP Littlehey. … I’m in the biggest sex offenders prison in Europe. The good news is that I have already seen that the staff here are strong, they are kind, and they are dedicated,” she continued, reading his statement.
“And as for my fellow prisoners, I now know that I am in no position to judge anyone. I don’t know which other men here are not guilty, and the ones that are, they are people that Christ died to save, like you and me. Let us all love, pray for, and forgive one another as God forgave us,” the statement said.
Brand closed by asking the public to support his wife and family. “I feel your prayers,” the statement said.
Brand’s YouTube channel features Christian-themed content, including a “Sunday Service” series he hosts with his wife. At the start of the video, Laura Brand said she would continue the series. Sunday’s episode included prerecorded video of the couple discussing faith and morality.
“Even though it’s painful, and obviously will take some getting used to for me to even sit here and not have my my companion, my person, with me, but I want to continue,” she said.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Brand a “sexual predator” before delivering his sentence. At sentencing, Brand’s victims shared in-person and written statements about the trauma and its effects on their daily lives.
Brand was convicted of raping a female fan at his home in 2009 after she met him at one of his shows. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting three other women: one whose breasts he grabbed at a party in 2004; one who said he kissed and groped her at a London radio station in 2004 or 2005; and one who said he pressed his face into her groin during the recording of an advertisement in 2009.
He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The sentence marked a stunning fall from grace for Brand, who rose to fame as a broadcaster and stand-up comedian and went on to a Hollywood career, starring in films including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN’s online chat service at https://www.rainn.org/get-help.
