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"He'll face hell on earth," former prisoner reveals what awaits actor Russell Brand inside the notorious London prison

2026-11-13 20:29:50Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

"He'll face hell on earth," former prisoner reveals what awaits

Russell Brand will face "a veritable hell on earth" inside HMP Wandsworth prison in London, a former inmate has claimed.

Brand, 51, was found guilty a week ago of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. On Monday, he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

He is currently being held in South London Prison, which is one of England's largest prisons, built during the Victorian era.

Chris Atkins, who served eight months in prison at HMP Wandsworth for tax fraud, described the institution as a "genuine hell on earth".

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "The first month is definitely the worst. The psychological shock is enormous. It was like that for me and it will be ten times worse for him, because of the nature of the offences he has been convicted of and his fall from such a high position.

He has to face reality and the intense physical and psychological shock that comes when he suddenly finds himself locked in a prison cell for weeks, with almost no one to talk to. It's a terrifying thing."

A source close to the comedian said he was doing "surprisingly well, considering the circumstances" and had been transferred from solitary confinement to a regular section of the prison.

A Wandsworth prison officer said there had been "a lot of enthusiasm" among prisoners about Brand's arrival.

"Prisons are boring places and Russell Brand's presence in their midst has given the prisoners something to enjoy. They have been banging on cell doors and shouting his name. He is a rapist, so there has also been anger about what he has done. We are fully aware of this reaction," the employee said.

Prison paperwork and bureaucratic procedures are also said to pose a major challenge for new inmates. Obtaining permission to make phone calls and completing visitation requests can take a long time, as they must go through several stages of the system to be approved.

Atkins said: "He won't have anyone registered on the visitor list yet. Visitors have to go through a series of checks. Phone numbers have to be approved. These checks are not done quickly and you have to know how to make these requests."

"There's often no one there to explain to you how all these procedures work, so you have to learn them yourself."

He said it took him five weeks to meet his young son. It has only been a few days since Brand was sentenced to more than ten years in prison.

At this stage, no one knows what awaits him in the future. Over time, he may be transferred to another prison, where the regime is less strict and the conditions are more modern.

The guidelines state that those sentenced to four or more years in prison for certain serious violent or sexual offenses are released after serving two-thirds of their sentence. In Brand's case, that means he could be released after seven years in prison.


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