An ex-girlfriend of convicted rapist Russell Brand has accused him of violence and abuse hours after he was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison.
Jemima Goldsmith, who reportedly dated Brand for about a year in 2014, posted on social media that she had her own experience of his "violence, coercive control and abuse," and had to call the police to remove him during a "violent incident."
She alleged that she "had to call the police to have him removed" from her house, but chose not to press charges.
Jemima Goldsmith dated Russell Brand briefly in 2014 (Image: IAN WEST/Press Association)
Brand, 51, was convicted on Thursday of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three TV and radio workers during his rise to international fame.
He spent four nights in custody before being sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.
During the hearing, his barrister Ian Winter KC argued that Brand’s crimes were fuelled by the height of his celebrity and noted that the final offence occurred "happened very shortly after" he met his former wife, singer Katy Perry.
One victim told the court Brand was "a sexual predator who has no remorse for how his behaviour has impacted my life."
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She said Brand’s fame left her afraid to speak out for years, creating a "power imbalance" that made her feel "powerless."
Brand was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison at Southwark Crown Court (Image: Elizabeth Cook/Press Association)
Another victim said the assault would "haunt me every day" and that reporting it "felt like a marathon I had not trained for."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham praised the victims’ courage and said their actions would help drive reforms to the legal system.
Speaking from a hospital in Hertfordshire during the sentencing, Mr Burnham said he would be "relentless in making whatever improvements we can."
He pledged to give every police force a dedicated rape and serious sexual offence team.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to call media and entertainment leaders to a meeting and declare the Brand case a "line in the sand" for industry standards.
A government source told The Times that Ms Nandy believes "responsibility has to lie with the people at the top."
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Bennathan described Brand’s "staggering arrogance" and said he had "become a sexual predator" who showed a "casual arrogant disregard to any woman’s right to say no to you."
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