Russell Brand Reportedly Weighs Replacing Lawyer After £1m Defense

Brand was found guilty on four of seven charges: raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. On November 9, Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced him to 10 years and six months in prison. Winter had argued for a lighter sentence, saying Brand had changed since the offenses and pointing to his fame at the time. Bennathan questioned whether the passage of time should count in his favor, asking: “To say ‘He got away with it for 17 years’ is not necessarily a huge piece of mitigation, is it?”

Winter also drew criticism for his comments about the complainants. At sentencing, he said a woman assaulted at a London bar in 2004 was “not particularly vulnerable at all,” and described the incident as brief. He made similar arguments about Brand’s rape of a 21-year-old woman in 2009. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the reported arguments came close to victim blaming and backed calls for stronger jury guidance on misconceptions about rape and sexual assault.

The barrister faced criticism again after Brand’s conviction on November 5, when he confronted Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin outside court. According to Sky News, Winter asked whether she was pleased with the outcome. After Urwin said she was happy justice had been served, he replied: “Well, it wasn’t. You f***ed it.” Winter later confirmed he had reported himself to the Bar Standards Board.

Brand could face further criminal charges and civil lawsuits, the report says. He has also reportedly moved £8.7 million ($11.7 million) out of his television and comedy company and applied to transfer his £5 million ($6.7 million) Oxfordshire home to his wife, Laura Gallacher.