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Cosby sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison, designated a 'sexually violent predator'

By MARYCLAIRE DALE and MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press
By MARYCLAIRE DALE and MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — 1:38 p.m. Sept. 25 - A judge has sentenced Bill Cosby to no less than three years in a state prison. The TV star was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004. He could serve between 3 and 10 years behind bars, the judge announced Tuesday.

Judge Steven O'Neill sentenced Cosby on Tuesday, five months after his conviction in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.

Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of five to 10 years in prison. The defense asked for house arrest.

The 81-year-old comedian did not make a statement in court. Cosby sat back in his chair, his head on the headrest, as the sentence was read.

The entertainer once known as "America's Dad" was convicted in April of sexually assaulting Temple University athletics administrator Andrea Constand in 2004.

Constand is one of about 60 women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.

11:43 a.m. Sept. 25 - A judge has ruled that Bill Cosby is a "sexually violent predator."

The classification means that Cosby must undergo lifetime counseling and report quarterly to authorities. His name will appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims.

Judge Steven O'Neill made the decision Tuesday as he prepares to sentence the 81-year-old comedian for drugging and molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

WATCH LIVE: Day 2 of Bill Cosby’s sentencing in Montgomery County

Prosecutors are asking for five to 10 years in prison. The defense wants Cosby sent home on house arrest.

Cosby's lawyers had fought the "sexually violent predator" designation, arguing that Pennsylvania's sex-offender law remains unconstitutional despite several revisions.

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Cosby, 81, will have the opportunity to speak in court before he is sentenced.

The once-beloved actor and comedian, dubbed "America's Dad" for his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the top-ranked, 1980s-era "Cosby Show," faces anything from probation to 10 years in prison for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a Temple University basketball administrator, at his estate near Philadelphia. She went to police a year later, only to have a prosecutor turn down the case.

STORY: Bill Cosby found guilty on 3 counts of sexual assault

In the years since Constand first went to police in 2005, more than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, though none of those claims have led to criminal charges.

Cosby is the first celebrity of the #MeToo era to go on trial, and the first to be convicted.

It's a reckoning that accusers and prosecutors say has been decades in the making.

"The victims cannot be un-raped. Unfortunately, all we can do is hold the perpetrator accountable," said Gianna Constand, the trial victim's mother, who testified Monday that her daughter's buoyant personality was forever changed after the attack.

The hearing is set to conclude Tuesday after testimony from a defense psychologist who believes Cosby is no longer a danger, given his age, and should not be branded a "sexually violent predator."

STORY: Board recommends Bill Cosby be classified as sexually violent predator

Defense lawyer Joseph Green Jr. urged the judge ignore the protests and activism surrounding the case, and send Cosby home on house arrest.

"The suggestion that Mr. Cosby is dangerous is not supported by anything other than the frenzy," Green said, as demonstrators gathered outside the suburban Philadelphia courthouse.

Being labeled a sexually violent predator would make him subject to mandatory lifetime counseling and community notification of his whereabouts.

On Monday, Kristen Dudley, a psychologist for the state of Pennsylvania, testified that Cosby fits the criteria for a sexually violent predator, showing signs of a mental disorder that involves an uncontrollable urge to have nonconsensual sex with young women.

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Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Cosby would no doubt commit similar crimes if given the chance, warning that the former TV star seemingly gets a sexual thrill out of slipping women drugs and assaulting them.

"To say that he's too old to do that - to say that he should get a pass, because it's taken this long to catch up to what he's done?" Steele said, his voice rising. "What they're asking for is a 'get out of jail free' card."

Cosby, he said, has shown repeatedly that he feels no remorse over his actions. And he said the sentence should send a message to others.

"Despite bullying tactics, despite PR teams and other folks trying to change the optics, as one lawyer for the defense put it, the bottom line is that nobody's above the law. Nobody," the district attorney said.

He urged a five- to 10-year prison sentence .

After testifying for several hours at two trials, the first of which ended in a hung jury, Constand spoke in court Monday for just two minutes.

"The jury heard me. Mr. Cosby heard me. Now all I am asking for is justice as the court sees fit," said Andrea Constand, who submitted a much longer victim-impact statement that wasn't read in court.

The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, which Constand and other accusers have done.

Cosby's side didn't call any character witnesses, and his wife of 54 years, Camille, was not in court.

STORY: Wife: Cosby convicted by 'mob justice, not real justice'

Cosby became the first black actor to star in a prime-time TV show, "I Spy," in 1965. He remained a Hollywood A-lister for much of the next half-century.

Monday's proceedings took place as another extraordinary #MeToo drama continued to unfold on Capitol Hill, where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces allegations of sexual misconduct from more than three decades ago.

 

Associated Press

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