I was pleasantly surprised that Russell Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assault. He was living in the U.S. and didn't have to go to Britain to stand trial. My guess is that he was inspired by Kevin Spacey who voluntarily went to the UK to stand trial on sex charges and was acquitted.
Brand testified that he couldn't find anyone to testify on his behalf. He and his wife were the only defense witnesses. And yet, when the jury announced its verdict and Brand was taken away to "gaol", he wanted to be released on bail so he could prepare his children for his going away to prison. The judge wouldn't release him because he was an obvious flight risk. He was rich, he had a home in the United States and he was facing a very long sentence. But why didn't he prepare his children for this while they were waiting for the verdict? He obviously just assumed he would be acquitted.
I had seen Russell Brand on TV over the years. I didn't realize he had been a stand-up comic, probably because he never said anything funny. I googled it and read some of his "jokes" from his stand-up days and didn't find them funny. It may have been in part because I knew he was a violent sexual predator, but I did once hear a British comedienne say she had admired him because of his stage persona, not because he was funny.
If you're an admirer of Russell Brand, you can probably write to him in prison and get a correspondence going. Prisoners have plenty of time on their hands. There was a woman who became penpals with Phil Spector who didn't know him until she wrote to him in prison. Read up on the dangers of communicating with sex criminals before you try it.
