British Comedian Russell Brand sentenced to over 10 years for rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand, the raunchy, irreverent British comedian who became a celebrity darling in the early 2000s, has been sentenced to over 10 years in prison after being found guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.

"The total sentence is one of ten years, six months," said Judge Justice Bennathan on handing down the sentence at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday.

Brand, 51, was a career chameleon who went from stand-up comic and MTV host to a political analyst esteemed by Britain's left, only to become a conspiracy theorist and Christian convert beloved by the U.S. right.

But critics of Brand said there was always a clear thread of misogyny running through his comedy routines, and that his mistreatment of women had been an open secret for decades.