British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after a London court found him guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others in a series of incidents dating back nearly two decades.

The 51-year-old was sentenced on Monday at Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Joel Bennathan said Brand had acted as though his celebrity status gave him the freedom to behave without regard for others. The judge described him as a predator who believed that fame allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

Brand was convicted on Thursday following a trial involving allegations spanning 2004 to 2009. He had denied the charges and maintained that he had never engaged in sexual activity without consent.

One of the women, who was raped by Brand in 2009, spoke about the continuing consequences of the assault in a victim impact statement read to the court before sentencing. She said the experience had left her with trauma that remained part of her everyday life and often felt endless.

DEFENCE SAYS BRAND HAS CHANGED

Seeking to make the case for his client, Brand's lawyer, Ian Winter, told the court that the comedian was no longer the person he had been at the time of the offences.

Winter pointed to Brand's public accounts of overcoming alcohol and drug addiction and his embrace of Christianity, arguing that he had undergone a profound personal transformation.

He described Brand as a fundamentally different person who had changed long before the sentencing proceedings.

Brand, who was once a major figure in British broadcasting and went on to establish a career in Hollywood, has stepped back from mainstream entertainment in recent years. His film credits include Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek and Arthur. He was also previously married to American pop star Katy Perry.

TWO MORE ALLEGED RAPES UNDER POLICE INVESTIGATION

The conviction and sentence come as Brand remains the subject of separate police inquiries.

London's Metropolitan Police is investigating two additional allegations of rape. One of the cases involves a girl who was 16 at the time of the alleged offence.

The head of the Metropolitan Police said on Friday that he would not be surprised if further people came forward with allegations, indicating that the investigation could widen.

In the case that concluded at Southwark Crown Court, Brand was acquitted of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

The sentence marks a major development in the legal proceedings against the former broadcaster, whose career once made him one of Britain's best-known entertainment personalities.