Russell Brand is a “marked man” at his current prison, according to an ex-con who served time there.
The disgraced comedian, 51, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He will be at HMP Wandsworth in London for “the next few weeks” until he will be transferred to a different prison based on “security, safety and rehabilitation needs,” Kally Sahota, Senior Solicitor and Director of Sahota & Sahota Solicitors, exclusively told Page Six Monday.
An ex-prisoner at HMP Wandsworth, who was released last year, told the Sun in a report published Monday that Brand is definitely facing issues in the facility.
“If Brand stays in Wandsworth, he’s in real trouble – a dead man walking,” he said, adding that the actor “needs to survive until he’s got his permanent move.”
The former inmate described the prison as “violent, corrupt, dirty and noisy.” He also claimed that there was staff who paid prisoners to attack other inmates and that fights would occur regularly.
“Brand will be a marked man while he is there and — if he is to stay safe — needs to move quickly,” he said.
According to the outlet, Brand is currently being housed in his own cell due to concerns about his safety.
HMP Wandsworth is plagued by overcrowding, vermin and violence, according to official watchdog reports obtained by Page Six Friday. The facility has 1,457 inmates despite having certified normal accommodation for just 894.
A 2024 report by Wandsworth’s Independent Monitoring Board described conditions inside as “inhumane,” and warned of severe risks caused by the overcrowding. For example. basic necessities were in short supply, with inmates sometimes going two or three weeks without a full change of clothing.
The report also found that crumbling floors provided access for vermin, and that temperatures frequently topped 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sahota described policies at HMP Wandsworth, telling Page Six that inmates are only allowed one hour outside of their cells.
The attorney also acknowledged the reported problems in the prison such as violence, drugs and vermin, noting that overcrowding and understaffing were the biggest issues.
As for how the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” star should act in prison, Sahota said Brand should keep his head down.
He advised, “Listen and look and see how things are done. I think very quickly, there could be friends made in prison, whether they are actually looking out for him or not, that remains to be seen.”
“So what may look like somebody that’s been friendly and is there to offer advice or help — that may not be the case,” he continued. “The advice would be keep your head down, keep your wits about you and just be careful.”
The Daily Mail reported Friday that Brand has been “cowering in fear” as hundreds of his fellow inmates at HMP Wandsworth have taken to taunting him with an abusive chant they’ve been repeating over and over.
The inmates are allegedly chanting at the convicted rapist, “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.”
“Nonce” is a British slang term that refers to a rapist or child molester, or a sexual offender, according to Dictionairy.com, while “lairy” is defined as “behaving in a loud, excited manner, especially when you are enjoying yourself or drinking alcohol,” per the Cambridge English Dictionary.
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