Russell Brand sentenced after convictions in UK

Last week, I know we told you about Russell Brand being found guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Well, today he was back in the court and he learned his sentencing. He will spend 10 and a half years in prison because of those charges. I want to bring in TMZ's Michael Babcock joining us here live on Fox 6 Now. Michael, kind of walk us through the courtroom today. Was there any kind of strong reaction from Russell Brand, his wife, his father? Hey Haley, thanks for having me. I would describe him as pretty stoic. Look, Russell Brand could have gotten a lighter sentence. He also could have gotten a more severe sentence. The judge sort of went in the middle of the recommended range here. I think Russell Brand clearly knew that he was going to get some sort of substantial jail time or prison time, Haley, so I don't believe that that came as a shock to him. He did at one point sort of turn to his wife and to his family and mouth the words, I love you, to them. He had tried to comfort them at other times during the trial, telling them it was going to be okay. So I think he did his best to put on a brave face today, but obviously I've got to imagine that he is devastated by this. And 10 1⁄2 years is clearly nothing to scoff at, even though he will not ultimately serve the full 10 1⁄2 years. He will serve about two-thirds of that time, Equals just short of seven years, Haley. And again, his wife, Laura, was in the courtroom. She's really stood by his side throughout all of these allegations, through the conviction, now the sentencing. What did the judge have to say? Because it seemed like he had some pretty strong words for Russell. You're not kidding. He had very strong words to include describing Russell Brand as a sexual predator as he was going through his sentencing. And he essentially said that Russell Brand years ago, and we're talking about crimes that were committed between 2004 and 2009. So we're talking about in some cases more than 20 years ago. But he said the judge did that you were coming up, You were, you know, becoming a- a- a big, a powerful, and influential celebrity, and you thought that you could act with impunity when it came to women, and you thought, Russell, that that level of fame allowed you or gave you a free pass to do whatever you want with women that you met, and it really caused a lot of harm to those women, and because of that, the judge clearly did not hold back. I mean, to call somebody a sexual predator is, you know, that's, you know, You know, a heck of an adjective, and you could tell that that's what the judge believed, and because of that, that's why you got that pretty significant sentence. Yeah. Again, to anyone joining us, sentenced to 10 1⁄2 years in prison earlier today. I imagine, you know, Russell Brand certainly has his own fan base. People know him from his comedy or from his time as an actor, but a lot of people also know him as the ex-husband of Katy Perry. Has she had anything to publicly say since he was found guilty or since the sentencing today? No, not yet. Though other women that Russell had been with now, not as high profile as Katy Perry, have come out and spoken out. In many cases, they have sided with the victims here. But she has not. She is obviously, of course, part of a very high profile relationship here now again, much like she was in when she was with Russell. Bye. Um, so, uh, we will see ultimately if she chooses to comment on it or not, that he has gotten a lot of support, but he has also gotten a lot of people who have said, it doesn't matter when these crimes happen. These are egregious acts that he was accused of and ultimately then convicted of. And, uh, and he should go away no matter how long ago it was. I do feel like I've been reading about rumors of maybe potentially Katie wanting to write a book or maybe make a documentary about all this. Has TMZ heard anything of that sort? I haven't. But look, there can be as we've seen, there can be big money in projects like that. So if you were to ultimately tell me that there was something like that, I wouldn't be shocked. Although I don't know that she wants to, you know. Open up that can of worms and get into, you know, really heavy, serious topics where obviously we're talking about a guy here who is now convicted of a count of rape, three counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted on some other really serious charges. I don't know that she wants to wade into that territory, but we will see. Yeah. And again, speaking about these charges and what Russell Brand was found guilty of this whole time, he's maintained his innocence. Was that the same thing he did today in the courtroom? Yeah, he didn't. He didn't. Because, look, I think Russell Brand has competent attorneys and he understands that the time in the trial to, you know, to prove your innocence or to show that you were not guilty, that that already came and went. There was a jury made up of 12 people, eight men, four women. who deliberated for two days that it was it wasn't you know quick open shut and hey he's guilty and let's go home seemed like they did deliberate and they really did go over the facts of the case here they found him not guilty on some charges so you know it wouldn't have done him any good today to declare his innocence once again he has said that he is innocent that he did you know act you know like a jerk or a fool in some cases back then but did not rise to being criminal. And that's what he has long maintained and still maintains. But it wasn't going to do him any good to say it today that that that part already passed and today was sentencing. And obviously he knew that he was going away and it was going to be some time until he was back out as a free man. And I mean, I guess the big question is always, well, what happens next? Have we heard at all from his defense team about a possible appeal here? Yeah, so there will be appeals and they will obviously try and get the verdict overturned. They will go down a number of different avenues that are available to them, assuming, because we know these appeals are long shots, whether it's in the United Kingdom or it's here in the U.S., once you are convicted in a court, it is difficult to get that overturned. So assuming that those are not successful, he will spend about seven years in the prison And then he will go out and be released to a place that's It's effectively like a halfway house where he will then have to spend some time. There will be restrictions that he will need to sort of face for the rest of his life. Whether, you know, there were any if there were another crime that he were to have committed, there could be some pretty severe consequences to face. So even after he gets out in seven years, this is something that he is going to have to contend with for the rest of his life. And, you know, life changed today for. for Russell Brand in a big, big way. Yeah, certainly a lengthy prison sentence that was handed down after some strong words there by the judge. Michael, we really appreciate you taking some time to join us here on Fox 6 Now and just break down the sentencing for us. Anytime. Thanks, Haley. I appreciate you having me. Yes, absolutely. Again, Michael Babcock there of TMZ joining us after, again, in a UK court this morning, Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison. It comes after he was found guilty on Friday by a jury for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. And as you can see here, as TMZ is reporting, Russell Brand does plan to appeal that conviction. Of course, that is usually what happens in the legal process and certainly something that we will stay on top of for you right here on Fox. We'll be right back.