A crucifix and a suit like Russell Brand’s were seen dangling in a prison van window as he was whisked from Southwark Crown Court to start a 10 years six months jail term
A crucifix and a suit similar to the one Russell Brand has been wearing were spotted through the window of a prison van as it left court. The convicted rapist was seen clutching a crucifix during his sentencing hearing.
He was also observed holding it throughout the trial. Religion reportedly remained an ever-present theme during proceedings, with Brand later posting an hour-long “Sunday Service” after the first week of the trial.
In the video, he read aloud passages from Ephesians while dressed in a leopard-print dressing gown, the Telegraph reported. On Sunday (November 8), Det Insp Laura Nelson, a senior officer in the investigation, said Brand and his wife, Laura, had trodden a “fine line” by uploading the videos.
Brand was taken straight to prison after being sentenced to 10 years and six months for rape and sexual assault, with officers moving quickly to place him into custody as the hearing ended. As the secure prison van pulled away from Southwark Crown Court, photographers captured what many saw as a final, symbolic image from the trial.
Brand was seen clutching it during the sentencing hearing and repeatedly during the trial, in what appeared to be a public display of his Christian faith, which he converted to in early 2024.
In an episode of a weekly show Brand co-hosted with Gallacher, leading up to the trial, he leaned heavily into a public persona as a born-again Christian, wearing crucifixes to court and speaking about his faith, the Daily Star previously reported.
In criminal psychology there’s a recognised pattern often described as “finding God at the courthouse steps”, where defendants make a sudden, public shift to intense religiosity during an active investigation or trial, Psychology Today reported.
Experts argue this can serve psychological and social purposes when someone faces public backlash, potential long sentences, or career-ending accusations. One function is “character rehabilitation”: projecting repentance to reframe the person from “dangerous offender” to “redeemed” and morally reformed.
Brand is said to have been petrified after spending his first nights behind bars. The ex Hollywood actor was believed to have been held at London’s Wandsworth jail over the weekend while he waited to be sentenced
Reports claim he was whisked to the high-security prison, where he was strip-searched and marched to a cramped cell.
He was given a ‘first-night pack’ which consists of toiletries including a toothbrush and toothpaste and a food pack including cereal, tea, milk and sugar.
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