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Brand sentencing report details victims' fear of not being believed

The London report pairs the prison sentence with accounts of the power imbalance victims described and news of further police investigations.

Channel: CBC News ·

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Russell Brand sentenced to 10½ years in prison on rape, sexual assault convictions

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0:26Brand's convictions cover one rape and three sexual assaults involving offenses between 2004 and 2009.
0:43Bennathan announces the sentence and explains custody, release on license and indefinite notification requirements.
2:47Victim impact statements describe fear of disbelief and a power imbalance linked to Brand's celebrity.
4:48Prosecutor David Roberts says fame, status and the passage of time do not change the issue of consent.
5:21Cunningham reports that police are investigating at least two further rape allegations, separate from the sentenced offenses.

Fear of not being believed runs through the victim impact statements in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's CBC News report from London on Russell Brand's sentencing.

Correspondent Anna Cunningham recounts how one woman described the comedian's fame, wealth and influence as a power imbalance that left her feeling powerless. Another said she feared reporting him would not lead to her being believed. Cunningham reports that one victim spoke anonymously from behind a curtain.

Brand was sentenced on Monday to ten years and six months in prison after a four-week trial, the broadcaster reports. He was convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults involving offenses between 2004 and 2009.

The report includes footage of High Court judge Joel Bennathan announcing the total sentence and explaining that Brand will serve two-thirds in custody before release on license. That amounts to seven years. The judge also says Brand will remain indefinitely subject to notification requirements after his release.

Cunningham describes Bennathan's condemnation of Brand as a sexual predator and his criticism of the actor's arrogance and lack of remorse, contrasting those remarks with his praise for the victims.

Outside court, Crown prosecutor David Roberts puts consent at the center of the case: "Today's result shows that fame, status and the passage of time do not change the fundamental issue of consent."

The report also recalls earlier journalistic investigations by The Times and Channel 4 and examines the wider discussion about power imbalances in the entertainment industry. Cunningham closes by reporting that police are actively investigating at least two further rape allegations against Brand. Those allegations are separate from the convictions for which he has been sentenced.

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