What Russell Brand can expect in prison as expert breaks down conditions for high-profile inmates

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.

A former prison governor has said keeping Russell Brand safe behind bars will be a 'difficult challenge'.

The 51-year-old was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of the rape of a woman in 2009, and of sexually assaulting women between 2004 and 2009. He was sentenced to 10 and a half years.

Facing the prospect of at least seven years in prison before he is eligible for parole, an expert has explained what Brand might expect while incarcerated, as well as the kind of risks he'll face.

Former prison governor Professor Ian Acheson laid out his assessment of what Brand could expect from his time in prison, where he might be held and the threats he could face from other inmates.

The expert warned that fame 'might paint a target on him' and that other prisoners may attack him because he's a well-known name.

One of the first decisions for Russell Brand is which prison he'll be put in, and whether he'll be in a vulnerable prisoners unit (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Professor Acheson explained on social media: "High profile sexual predators are at increased risk wherever Brand gets sent after sentencing - classification and allocation come next at the local where he will be held.

"Risks are a) risk to self b) risk to others c) Risk from others."

Professor Acheson says Brand's risk to himself 'is acute after sentencing', adding 'a catastrophic fall from prominence & status with reputation destroyed publicly means self harm risk high'.

He went on: "Risk to others from a heterosexual male predator in a male prison is low."

But he added that 'his charisma and his notoriety might paint a target on him'.

He went on to explain that if Brand is attacked it may not come 'out of some moral payback', as he would likely be incarcerated with offenders who'd been convicted of even more serious crimes, but 'impulsive offenders wanting a name' might try something.

Professor Acheson suggested Brand could be at risk from other inmates (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Acheson suggested that the risk to Brand was 'high', and that it'd be 'a very difficult challenge' for prison guards to manage.

While he said that he was certainly no fan of Brand's, he made it clear the man 'is entitled to be protected by the state to serve his whole sentence', and it was much better than 'vigilante justice'.

Given the threat to Brand, he may be kept in a vulnerable prisoners unit where the expert said he would be 'relatively safer', and would have the right to ask for protection or measures put in place to keep him safe.

Paul McGinn, partner in the abuse team at legal firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, has told LADbible that Brand's notorious fame could mean he's kept apart from others, suggesting he might be 'kept separate from the wider prison population to ensure his safety'.