Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3 To 10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault

Bill Cosby has been sentenced to 3-10 years in jail for sexual assaulting a woman in 2004.
Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3 To 10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault
The disgraced comedian was found guilty in April of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
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Comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for sexually assaulting a woman in 2004.

Cosby, 81, was sentenced by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill on three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault after a two-day hearing in which he declined to make a statement. The entertainer was found guilty in April of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former women’s basketball coach at Temple University in Philadelphia, where Cosby was a trustee, major donor and famous alumnus.

“The day has come. Your time has come,” O’Neill said before handing down the punishment.

The judge denied a defense request to allow Cosby to remain free on bail, but lawyers continued to argue and the entertainer wasn’t immediately hauled out of court to begin his sentence.

“They’re asking you to treat him differently than others, and that’s not appropriate,” District Attorney Kevin Steele told O’Neill in response to the defense argument for bail.

The comedian, whose lawyers branded Constand a con artist and liar during his trial, had faced a possible punishment of five to 10 years in prison on each of the three charges. O’Neill announced Monday that the prosecution and defense agreed to merge the three felony counts into one, exposing Cosby to a maximum of five to 10 years.

According to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, people convicted of aggravated indecent assault with no prior criminal record, like Cosby, received an average minimum of around 2 1/2 years in prison, and an average maximum of around six years.

The judge also ordered Cosby to pay Constand’s costs and a fine of $25,000.

“I don’t know whether the defendant read your statement,” the judge told Constand before announcing the sentence. “But I did. I heard the very clear impact this has had on you.”

Earlier Tuesday, O’Neill declared Cosby a sexually violent predator ― which state law defines as a person with “a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.”

Most of Monday’s hearing was devoted to whether Cosby should be declared a sexually violent predator. Defense attorney Joseph Green argued that the law describing the classification was unconstitutional, but O’Neill rejected the claim. The defense also argued that Cosby’s age and diminished eyesight preventing him from victimizing anyone else.

The designation means Cosby will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Additionally, the designation demands a more active notification on the sex offender registry list, including registering upon release from custody, informing state police of changes of residence or employer, monthly therapy sessions, and quarterly in-person interviews with state police.

Psychologist Kristen Dudley, testifying for the prosecution on Monday, said she “came to the conclusion that Mr. Cosby does in fact fit the criteria” of a sexually violent predator.

“Using his power and prestige within the community, he is able to meet people, befriend them, and it is during that friendship that the sexual assault occurs,” Dudley testified, adding she believes Cosby’s behavior is “likely to reoccur.”

Constand, her parents and her sister gave powerful victim-impact statements on Monday.

“Your honor, I have testified, I have given you my victim impact statement,” Constand said. “The jury heard me, Mr. Cosby heard me and now all I am asking for is justice as the court sees fit.”

Her mother, Gianna Constand, delivered a heart-wrenching statement, telling the courtroom, “This has been a very difficult situation for me and I have lost the ability to trust or share my feelings with anyone. I do not believe in my heart that Bill Cosby has ever cared or even considered the pain and suffering this mess has caused us, or the family as a unit.”

The judge last week rejected a prosecution request to allow additional Cosby accusers to testify during the sentencing. More than 50 women have accused the veteran entertainer of rape or sexual assault, but most of the alleged offenses are too old for criminal prosecution.

Cosby’s attorneys sought to remove the judge from the case, with one defense motion asking O’Neill recuse himself because of his wife’s work with sexual assault survivors. The judge rejected the request.

Cosby had been under house arrest, on $1 million bail, since his conviction. He was tried on the same charges in 2017, but the trial ended in a hung jury and a mistrial. Cosby reportedly paid Constand $3.4 million in a civil lawsuit settlement in 2006.

The three-week trial in April was the first high-profile sexual assault prosecution in the Me Too era, and tensions were high. Dozens of protesters flocked to the Pennsylvania courtroom outside of Philadelphia, with many rallying in support of women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault or rape.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/bill-cosby-sentenced-sexua…

Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3 To 10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault

The disgraced comedian was found guilty in April of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.


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