Russell Brand hosted a large beach gathering with a sober-living organization just 10 days before his rape trial began in the UK, where he was later sentenced to more than a decade in prison.
The 51-year-old comedian invited friends, relatives, church members and people connected to Path of Grace Recovery to a beach barbecue in Grayton Beach, Florida, on September 27, sources close to the disgraced actor told TMZ.
Brand has previously supported Path of Grace Recovery, a nonprofit that assists women battling drug and alcohol addiction. Around 100 people attended the gathering, including his wife, Laura, and their three children, the sources said.
One attendee described the event as resembling a farewell party. There was extensive prayer, the source told TMZ, while Brand went around speaking personally with guests and saying he was putting his faith in God.
Images from the gathering showed Brand wearing a white cut-off T-shirt emblazoned with the word ‘REBORN,’ a long cross necklace, white sweatpants and sandals as he posed with other guests on the beach.
According to the sources, Brand appeared to be behaving normally and gave no sign that he was anxious about the impending trial.
However, he reportedly told one attendee: ‘I might be going away for a long time.’
Brand is now expected to be transferred to a prison for sex offenders after reportedly spending his first three days in custody hiding in his cell at HMP Wandsworth.
Russell Brand, 51, (pictured in February) hosted a beach gathering with a sober-living group around 10 days before his rape trial began in the UK
His wife, Laura, attended the gathering along with their three children
The actor showed little emotion on Monday as he was sentenced to 10 years and six months for raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women during the height of his fame.
Before he was taken from the dock to the cells, Brand mouthed ‘I love you’ and ‘we’ll be OK’ to his wife, Laura Gallacher, during a brief exchange.
Gallacher visibly collapsed forward in the public gallery as the sentence was delivered. She later appeared to fight back tears while leaving court hand in hand with a friend.
Brand’s father, Ron Brand, also appeared shaken by the length of the sentence, which is expected to leave his son behind bars for at least seven years.
In sentencing Brand, Justice Joel Bennathan said the comedian believed he could commit sexual offenses ‘with impunity.’ He ruled that Brand had exploited his fame, influence and power to satisfy a ‘voracious’ and violent appetite for gratification.
The judge said Brand became a dangerous ‘sexual predator’ after achieving fame, criticizing his ‘staggering arrogance’ and ‘contempt’ toward women in his life, which he pursued ‘unburdened by the rules of decent people.’
‘You were clever and, in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator,’ he said.
Bennathan added that Brand showed ‘a casual and arrogant disregard for a woman’s right to say no to you,’ telling him: ‘Fame meant you thought you could act how you like, when you like.’
Brand was sentenced on Monday to more than 10 years in prison
A court artist’s sketch shows Russell Brand speaking briefly with his wife, Laura, before he was taken to the cells
Prosecutors said Brand raped a young woman until she bled and attacked three other women he had not previously known. Some of the assaults allegedly occurred within seconds of meeting the women during the peak of his fame, including one shortly after he met pop star Katy Perry.
The court also heard that Brand, who once boasted he would not stop pursuing sex until he achieved his ‘birthright orgasm,’ ignored women’s requests for him to stop.
In the rape case, prosecutors said Brand singled out a 21-year-old fan from the audience in 2009.
Brand, then 33, allegedly forced the woman face-down onto a pillow on his ‘enormous’ bed and removed his condom while raping her at his Hampstead home, leaving her struggling to breathe.
The woman suffered anal bleeding and later said Brand told her to ‘clean up the mess you’ve made’ before turning on the television to watch the science-fiction series Quantum Leap.
She attempted to tidy up before a member of staff escorted her outside. A driver gave her tissues while taking her home. After fearing she might have contracted HIV, she underwent testing, but the results were negative.
Brand’s defense lawyer argued that his client had ‘gone too far and overrode the consent that had been given.’
The barrister also maintained that Brand was now ‘fundamentally a different person’ and challenged the degree to which some of the women involved had been vulnerable.
FIND OUT MORE: Former West Point Cadet Sued Over Alleged Drugging, Forced Abortion
Prosecutors said Brand attacked one victim shortly after meeting pop star Katy Perry. The pair are pictured together in 2010
Brand supporters displayed a sign outside the courthouse on Monday as he was sentenced
On Thursday, a jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape.
He was also convicted of sexually assaulting an MTV employee at a party in a Soho bar in 2004 and of assaulting a Capital Radio employee after meeting her in a corridor in 2005.
Brand, a born-again Christian who said he wore the ‘full armor of God’ in court, was acquitted of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
During Monday’s hearing, Brand wore a dark gray suit, black waistcoat and white shirt. He was heard praying and gripping the crucifix around his neck while listening to statements from the victims.
The first victim to speak was the former MTV employee, who said the incident left her ‘extremely upset and traumatized.’
‘It really affected how I viewed myself, I didn’t have any respect for myself and got into situations with toxic men as I didn’t have any self-worth,’ she said.
‘I literally lost any love for myself for a long time thinking that I was damaged goods.’
Brand, a born-again Christian who said he wore the ‘full armor of God’ in court, was heard praying and holding the crucifix around his neck as he listened to the victims’ impact statements
The Capital Radio employee said Brand’s sexual offense had ‘had a lasting impact’ on her life, despite believing she had managed to bury the experience.
In a victim impact statement read at Southwark Crown Court, she said: ‘This has had a lasting impact on my life even if I thought that I had successfully buried what happened. I had a strong adverse reaction, especially to his voice.’
The incident affected her professional life, although she said she had ‘tried for so long to be strong and carry on – business as usual.’
She added: ‘However, over the years hearing his voice on television, on social media or seeing his image made me jump.’
She said she was later advised to seek therapy for ‘serious anxiety.’
A statement from the rape victim was then read by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC. The woman said Brand’s public profile had made it difficult for her to speak about what happened.
‘The defendant’s public profile had a significant impact on me – because of who he was and the influence he held, I did not feel confident speaking openly about what had happened.
‘I did not know who I could trust or confide in. I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed.
‘His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.
‘I did not have the confidence to challenge someone who appeared so powerful, rich and influential. His public profile meant that he remained present in my life even when I wanted to move on.
‘I would regularly encounter references to him in the media, which made it difficult to escape reminders of what had happened.’
Justice Joel Bennathan said Brand believed he could commit sexual offenses ‘with impunity’ and had exploited his fame, influence and power to satisfy his ‘voracious’ and violent appetite for gratification
During sentencing, Justice Bennathan told Brand that ‘imprisonment will deprive your children of the presence of their father, that sad loss to them however is caused by your serious offending.’
The judge cited Brand’s lack of previous convictions and the fact that ’17 years had passed’ since his final offense as mitigating factors. He also noted how Brand had lived in the years since, including helping people ‘wrestling with addictions.’
Police have confirmed that investigations continue into two other rape allegations made against Brand.
Pre-trial hearings revealed that one complaint was made by a woman who dated Brand when he was 30 and she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Additional women approached police after the initial allegations against Brand emerged, and prosecutors are considering whether further charges should be brought.
