R ussell Brand was sentenced to more than 10 years in jail yesterday, after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. The details that emerged from his case have been shocking and at times deeply disturbing. We have witnessed the bravery of the women who came forward to seek justice – and the brazen and brutal sense of entitlement exhibited by a pampered star at the height of his fame.

The Brand trial brought into sharp relief many of the victim-blaming attitudes I have spent my professional life as a criminal barrister trying to challenge. Old tropes emerged about victims not screaming out during rape and not reporting immediately. This is why lawyers who conduct sex cases should be required to hold a certificate that they have undergone recent additional training.…