Russell Brand ‘begged for extra blankets on first night at new prison offering yoga, choir and origami classes’
The former comedian has reportedly been moved to a lower-security jail in Cambridgeshire just days into his 10-and-a-half-year sentence, prompting questions from prison experts about his placement and the security arrangements surrounding his incarceration.
Russell Brand is said to have asked for extra blankets on his first night at a Category C prison offering yoga, football and origami classes where he’s reportedly been transferred days after being jailed for rape and sexual assault.
The former comedian and television presenter, 51, is said to have been moved on Friday (13.11.26) from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London to HMP Littlehey, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
Brand’s apparent transfer came four days after he was sentenced to 10 years and six months at Southwark Crown Court for offences against four women committed between 2004 and 2009.
According to The Sun on Sunday, concerns about his safety influenced the decision to move him to the lower-security prison.
A prison source told the publication: “He was heard asking for blankets on his first night and he’s had extra officers looking after him since he arrived.”
The insider added: “He’s got his own cell and he’s not interacted with any of the other inmates yet.”
Brand is understood to have been placed in a single-occupancy cell on E Wing, where newly arrived prisoners spend their initial weeks at Littlehey.
The Sun also reported he was escorted to cell 103 by 10 prison officers after arriving in a secure transport vehicle operated by Serco.
His journey from Wandsworth to Littlehey would have covered approximately 90 miles, and Brand would have been transported in a self-contained compartment inside the prison van.
At Wandsworth, he had reportedly been held separately from other prisoners because of concerns his public profile and the nature of his convictions could make him a target for violence.
Littlehey houses male sex offenders and provides a range of recreational activities, including football, indoor bowls, gym sessions, choir rehearsals, quizzes and origami.
The prison also has two gyms, two sports halls and an artificial football pitch.
Retired prison governor Vanessa Frake questioned the decision to transfer him to a Category C establishment so soon after sentencing.
Vanessa told The Sun: “I am absolutely flabbergasted that he is in a Category C prison.
“He has no previous convictions, but he has got a substantial sentence – and there’s possibly more in the pipeline.
“His high public profile and nature of the convictions, and his vulnerability to attacks will all have been encompassed in his risk assessment. But I am surprised they have downgraded him to a Category C already. I’d have thought Category B would have been more appropriate.”
The Sun also reported Brand had been considered for HMP Wakefield, the high-security prison where former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was killed in 2025.
Former Metropolitan Police detective Mick Neville said the decision to send Brand to Littlehey may have reflected concerns about the resources required to protect him in a higher-security establishment.
Mick said: “People will see Littlehey as Brand given a soft option. People would expect him to spend time in a jail such as Monster Mansion after the appalling things he did.
“But the Prison Service have clearly decided that putting him into Monster Mansion would be a real risk to him and soak up massive resources to keep him safe. After the murder of Ian Watkins, to put another celebrity like Brand in Wakefield would put him and officers at risk.”
Brand, who rose to prominence presenting Big Brother's Big Mouth before establishing a Hollywood career with films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, was convicted following a four-week trial.
The jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
He was acquitted of two further rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.
During sentencing on 9 November, Mr Justice Joel Bennathan described the entertainer as a sexual predator whose growing fame had helped protect him from scrutiny.
The judge imposed a nine-year sentence for rape, with an additional 18 months for the sexual assaults.
Brand must serve two-thirds of the total sentence before becoming eligible for release on licence.
