Russell Brand ‘struggles to eat jail slop’ as inmates ‘banned from talking’ to him
Convicted rapist Russell Brand is struggling with ‘food slop’ while kept in isolation at London’s notoriously squalid HMP Wandsworth prison, which has been branded one of the UK’s grimmest jails
Disgraced comedian Russell Brand has been locked up in one of Britain’s grimmest prisons(Image: James Manning/Press Association)
Disgraced comedian Russell Brand has been locked up in one of Britain’s grimmest prisons after being convicted of rape and sex attacks. The shamed comic, 51, is spending the weekend stewing behind bars at the notoriously squalid HMP Wandsworth.
He was remanded in custody by Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (November 5) after a jury found him guilty of raping a fan and sexually assaulting three other women at the height of his fame. Prison visitors have now lifted the lid on the grim reality Brand is facing, with inmates forced to endure 23-hour lockups and “food slop”.
One horrified visitor, whose partner is currently locked inside the south-west London clink, slammed the understaffed facility for messing up basic meals.
Brand is spending the weekend stewing behind bars at the notoriously squalid HMP Wandsworth(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
She told the Mirror: “It’s really horrible in there. My partner is vegetarian and they keep giving him chicken. He’s also a Muslim and they kept trying to give him pork. They’re awful. They’re really short-staffed so the prisoners are in their cells 23 hours a day a lot of the time.”
Another woman, who did not want to be named, echoed similar frustrations over the conditions inside, even claiming her partner said Brand, who turned into a wellness content creator after his comedy career, was struggling with the food inside.
She said: “My boyfriend told me about Brand being in there. He said Brand doesn’t like the food and is struggling to eat it. It’s slop.”
Prison visitors have lifted the lid on the grim reality Brand is facing at Wandsworth prison(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
Another source, who had just visited her son inside the jail, said: “My son said Brand is downstairs from him. He said no one is allowed to see or speak to him.”
Another female visitor added: “Apparently Brand requested to go on the main wing, but they decided to put him in isolation.”
A damning report into HMP Wandsworth, by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, found the clink had serious problems including dilapidated cells, vermin and problems with the hot water. These came after inspections in April and May 2024.
Inspectors were concerned with several aspects of the Category B men’s prison and issued bosses an immediate action plan to improve standards at the slammer, home to more than 1,500 convicts.
The document, seen by the Mirror, said: “Overall living conditions were poor. Levels of overcrowding were high, with 80% of prisoners sharing cells designed for one. The prison was dirty. Many showers were in poor condition across the prison, and some should have been decommissioned.
“There were frequent issues with heating and hot water. Numerous cells had damaged furniture, flooring, windows or sinks. Many observation panels were blocked or smashed. Vermin remained a problem in the prison.
“Recent intensive work with an outside provider had seen some improvement, but prisoners told us that rodents were still seen frequently, and we found evidence of rat droppings across residential units.”
