London, Nov. 8, Relish Wire — Maniac convicted rapist Russell Brand has been “cowering in fear” since arriving at prison, as inmates keep chanting insults at him inside Wandsworth Prison, where he is being held, according to a Daily Mail report.
Contextually, the offences for which Brand was convicted took place between 2004 and 2009. A jury at Southwark Crown Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts after a four-week trial, and convicted him of one count of rape and three sexual assaults. Brand, 51, is due to be sentenced at the same court on November 9.
Hundreds of prisoners have reportedly joined in the chants, mocking the 51-year-old comedian when he arrived at the prison: “There’s a Brand new nonce on the wing! A Brand new nonce. Brand, you c–t, you ain’t so f–king lairy now.”
As per Cambridge Dictionary, “nonce” is a derogatory British term for a sex offender, particularly a child sex offender.
While “lairy” describes behaving in a loud, excited manner, especially when enjoying oneself or drinking alcohol. The inmate now uses both words to taunt Brand.
As per Daily Mail, Brand has been keeping a low profile and hardly leaves his cell “covering in fear” while he only leaves unless he goes to collect his meals.
His movement has since been described as “going around like a shadow.”
When the convicted rapist was remanded in custody after his conviction on November 5, Brand was initially held on an induction wing at Wandsworth but was later reportedly moved to the Vulnerable Prisoners’ (VP) wing, sometimes informally called a “nonce wing,” a British prison slang term for a section that houses sex offenders and other vulnerable prisoners.
According to prosecutors, the comedian carried out the rapes and assaults at different locations, including a radio station, the set of a DVD recording and his home.
With no physical attack reported yet. However, Daily Mail source described him as a potential target because of his public profile, where he might likely get visited soon by other inmate.
‘They have to get their amusement somewhere, so they’ve made Brand the object, with hundreds of prisoners shouting the chant.’ Daily Mail source said
That pressure shapes the daily routine that Sunday’s source described, where “Weekends at Wandsworth can be boring as the prison is so understaffed, meaning there is usually very little out-of-cell time for prisoners.”
“There is no outside exercise in the yard. Dinner or tea is served to prisoners at 4.30pm and then prisoners are back in their cells until 8am the next morning,” the source added
The hostility is unfolding in a prison under considerable strain.
The Howard League for Penal Reform found that Wandsworth prison held 1,457 prisoners, way above the certified normal accommodation for 894.
In 2024, an investigation by Wandsworth’s Independent Monitoring Board found that prisoners were routinely locked in cells for as long as 22 hours a day, at times without outdoor exercise because of staff shortages.
Among it all, a recorded 442 assaults took place between prisoners and 518 assaults have been targeted towards staff in the prison between the 2023-24 reporting period.
Brand, who carried a Bible during parts of his four-week trial, was met by the prison chaplain on arrival and has prayed with him. He was due to attend church at the prison on Sunday. The rapist is now reported to be a born-again Christian.
his cell, with a small metal basin and a toilet, he now washes his clothes in the sink and dries them on a heating pipe because there is no regular laundry collection.
The big comedian arrived at the prison without a bag as he didn’t hope his prison was going to become his new home after Nov 5th, per daily mail source.
Separately, the Metropolitan Police had said an investigation into rape allegations made by two women remains ongoing.
Brand has been previously interviewed under caution, and investigators have submitted files relating to both complainants to the Crown Prosecution Service. Detectives remain in contact with prosecutors while further inquiries continue.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said on November 6 that he would not be surprised if more people came forward.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, has urged in an inquiry that anyone who Brand might have raped or assaulted should come forward as the investigation continues.
