Bill Cosby declared 'sexually violent predator,' sentenced 3 to 10 years in prison
Comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in 2004.
Though Cosby's crime carries a maximum of 10 years, TMZ reported that "Pennsylvania sentencing guidelines provide a range of 22 and 36 months, although the length of sentence can go up an additional year for 'aggravated circumstances.'"
Cosby's spokeperson Andrew Wyatt made a statement outside the courthouse terming the trial the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States.
"They persecuted Jesus and look what happened. Not saying Mr. Cosby is Jesus, but we know what this country has done to black men for centuries," he said.
Earlier, the Montogomery County Judge Steven O'Neill who is overseeing comedian Cosby's sentencing declared him a "sexually violent predator" on Tuesday, according to reports. The classification means that the iconic entertainer's name will appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims. Cosby will now have to undergo monthly counseling for the rest of his life and report quaterly to authorities.
The decision to include the 81-year-old in sex offender registration comes as Judge O'Neill prepares to sentence the actor popularly known as "America's Dad" for sexually assaulting Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia estate in 2004, according to CNN.
Cosby's legal team had fought against him being branded a "sexually violent predator" arguing that Pennsylvania's sex-offender law remains unconstitutional. They also added that Cosby posed no threat to the public on account of his age. Judge O'Neill, however, said that the prosecutors had presented "clear and convincing" evidence which suggested otherwise.
The crucial question of his possible imprisonment has been looming ever since he was convicted in April of sexual assault. Cosby could get up to 10 years in prison for each conviction. Prosecutors, however, have suggested that they are likely to ask for a lesser sentence. If he is sentenced to prison, then he could be taken into custody immediately at the court.
The defense, however, requested house arrest for Cosby, arguing that he is too old and helpless to do time behind bars as he is legally blind.
The judge designated Cosby as sex offender despite defense psychologist Timothy Foley's testimony that the probability of the entertainer committing another sex offense is "extraordinarily low."
A psycologist for the state testified stating that Cosby appeared to have a mental disorder which gave him an uncontrollable urge to assault women, according to reports.
Cosby, who was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault in December 2015, was convicted earlier this year for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former administrator at his alma mater Temple University in 2004 marking the first high-profile case for the #MeToo era in a courtroom.
The trial in April was centered on Constand's testimony and also featured testimony from five "prior bad acts" witnesses who also accused Cosby of drugging and assaulting them in a similar manner. At least 60 victims in total have claimed of being sexually harassed by Cosby till date.
Cosby, once known as "America's Dad", remained silent for most of the trial and did not testify, however, he erupted in a stunning outburst after prosecutors asked the judge to revoke his bail because he owned a private plane. Cosby, to this claim, roared in the courtroom and stood up, yelling: "He doesn't have a plane, you asshole." The comedian has remained out of prison for the past five months on $1 million bail and his legal team has said that they will appeal his convictions.
Reports state that several of Cosby's victims also arrived at the court on Monday for the sentencing. The victims included Janice Dickinson, who had testified at Cosby's conviction trial in April.
The decision on Cosby's prison sentence lies on Judge Steven O’Neill, who oversaw 'The Cosby Show' actor's 2018 retrial and also his mistrial, which ended in a hung jury in 2017. According to court records, O'Neill, last week, denied the prosecutors' request to present "numerous" witnesses who could testify that Cosby had sexually assaulted them in incidents which did not result in criminal charges.
