Bill Cosby has been sentenced to 3 to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand
The case that was originally filed in 2004, when Cosby was accused of raping a 17 year old
Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years in prison on Tuesday for sexual assault. Cosby was accused of drugging and assaulting a woman in 2004.
Cosby was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constad in 2004. The case eventually went to trial in 2017, and the jury failed to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial. The retrial resulted in the actor being found guilty on three charges of aggravated indecent assault in April.
Cosby arrived at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa at 8:30am on Monday for the first day of sentencing. Judge Steven T. O’Neill delivered the sentence to Cosby. He said, “Nobody is above the law because of where they live, who they are, wealth, fame, celebrity or even philanthropy.”
Cosby will be sentenced between 22 and 36 months for a standard sentence, and also be required to pay $25,000 within the first 12 months as the cost of prosecution. He will also be required to take a sex offender’s program.
O’Neill added, “Any lesser sentence would take away from the seriousness of the crime.” He also said that he gave a lot of value to the victim-impact statement, including the “traumatic aftermath, alienation from friends, pain, anguish, [and] nightmares,” which the victim Andrea Constand experienced. Cosby was also disallowed from any contact whatsoever with Constad. The judge told Cosby, “34 months this has gone on. Your time has come.”
The judge denied the defense’s motion for discretionary release or bail due to the seriousness of the crime and the threat Cosby poses to the community. He did agree however, to revisit this application if a post-sentence motion is filed.
Kristen F. Dudley, a member of the Pennsylvania Sex Offenders Assessment Board, also testified, claiming that Cosby is a sexually violent predator. She further noted that he has a personality disorder and experiences paraphilia, which leads him to having heightened interest in non-consenting women. She added, “It is possible he has already met someone who could be a future victim.”
After being decided against, Cosby took off his jacket and was seen laughing with the attorneys. Constad did not show any visible reaction on the prosecution’s side, although Janice Dickinson, one of the testifiers against Cosby, said she felt “victorious” and “vindicated”. She also hugged Constad at the end of the decision. She said, “This poor woman who was raped when she was 17 years old. She was a virgin. She collapsed in court. She was absolutely victorious today.”
Bill Cosby starred in Fat Albert and Ghost Dad.