Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, Sept. 25 for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. Following his sentencing at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Penn., the disgraced star of “The Cosby Show” was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs to be immediately transported to state prison. Cosby, 81, was denied bail and did not give a statement during his appearance in the courtroom.
The sentencing comes five months after Cosby was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault against former Temple University employee Constand in his mansion in 2004.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Steven O’Neill declared Cosby a “sexually violent predator,” meaning he must undergo lifetime counseling and appear on a sex offender registry.
“It is time for justice in a court of law,” O’Neill said at the end of the hearing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. “The day has come. The time has come.”
The Montgomery County District Attorney confirmed the sentence on Twitter. The sentence includes a $25,000 fine and requires Cosby to pay for the cost of his prosecution. The term sentences require Cosby to serve a minimum of three years in prison. He will then become eligible for supervised release, although there is no guarantee that he will be released, Philadelphia public radio station WHYY reported.
Cosby’s publicity team addressed his sentencing outside of the courthouse on Tuesday.
“They persecuted Jesus and look what happened,” publicist Andrew Wyatt told reporters after Cosby was taken into custody.
“Not saying Mr. Cosby is Jesus,” Wyatt clarified. “But we know what this country has done to black men for centuries. So Mr. Cosby is doing fine. He’s holding up well and everybody that wants to say anything negative, you’re a joke as well.”
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.