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BBC's Brand coverage turns to reporting abuse in creative industries

After the sentence, Helena Kennedy discusses an independent reporting portal, while former Dispatches producer Esella Hawkey questions whether the industry has done enough.

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BBC News Story of November 10, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of BBC News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 208,629 views.

LIVE: Russell Brand sentencing | BBC News

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1:36The presenter recounts victim impact statements describing lasting trauma and threats from Brand's supporters.
6:30Esella Hawkey describes obstacles investigative teams faced getting people to speak publicly about Brand.
20:14Mr Justice Bennathan begins his sentencing remarks, reviewing the offences and their impact.
40:13The judge sentences Brand to a total of ten years and six months in prison.
53:23Helena Kennedy discusses abuse in the creative industries and introduces a new independent reporting portal.

The sentence is not the end of BBC News' Russell Brand broadcast. After the courtroom feed finishes, the coverage turns to how people in the creative industries can report abuse, with Baroness Helena Kennedy KC introducing a new independent reporting portal.

Brand received ten years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault, according to the BBC's coverage from Southwark Crown Court. Mr Justice Bennathan delivers the total sentence about 40 minutes into the recording.

Beyond the sentencing remarks carried in other court broadcasts, the BBC includes interviews about the obstacles to exposing abuse. Esella Hawkey, a former executive producer of Channel 4's Dispatches, describes the difficulty investigative teams faced getting people to speak publicly about Brand.

"I don't think we've actually done nearly enough to tackle the reasons why this was allowed to happen," Hawkey says. She also discusses the public scrutiny faced by women who gave testimony in court and contributed to documentary investigations.

Kennedy, appearing as chair of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, takes up the question of reporting routes after the sentence. Her contribution begins around 53 minutes in, shifting the broadcast from the court's punishment to how the industry responds to abuse.