A judge at London's Southwark Crown Court on Monday sentenced British comedian and actor Russell Brand to 10 years and six months in prison after a jury last week convicted him of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others^1,3,5.

Brand, 51, was found guilty on Nov. 5 on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault and was acquitted of two other rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault^1,2,3.

The case involved allegations from six women spanning years that outlets described as beginning as early as 1999, with the convictions tied to incidents from 2004 through 2009^1,3.

Variety described the prison term as 10 years, while CBS News, Al Jazeera, DW and Global News reported 10 years and six months^1,3,4,5,6.

Judge Joel Bennathan called Brand a predator and said the sentence was proportionate to the gravity of the offending, DW reported⁵.

Brand had pleaded not guilty and said the encounters were consensual^3,6.

His lawyer, Ian Winter, told the court Brand was a fundamentally different person than at the time of the 2009 rape, CBS News reported¹.

Winter also asked the judge to weigh Brand's limited prior record and charity work, Global News reported⁶.

The Metropolitan Police opened an investigation in 2023 after U.K. news reports, ABC News said, and the Crown Prosecution Service later authorized additional charges².

After last week's verdict, CBS News and Variety said police were investigating further rape allegations from two other women^1,4.

DW reported Brand must serve at least two-thirds of the term in prison, with later release under supervision if his conduct is good⁵.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham praised the survivors and said his government would seek more support for victims, DW reported⁵.