Why was Bill Cosby released from jail?
BILL Cosby was released from prison on June 30, 2021, after his charges were dropped by a Supreme Court due to an "unfair trial".
Cosby, 83, was pictured arriving back at his home in Philadelphia, having served more than two years of a three to 10-year sentence.
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Why was Bill Cosby released from jail?
On June 30, 2021, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s sex assault conviction after finding that there had been a "process violation."
Cosby's legal team had made an "unusual" previous agreement with state district attorney Bruce Castor that he would not be prosecuted after he gave evidence in 2005 during a lawsuit brought against him by former basketball player Andrea Constand.
At the time, he described using his fame to push women into sex acts -claiming he was good at picking up nonverbal cues signalling consent.
However, after Cosby was charged with allegedly drugging and molesting Constand in 2004, the case was settled for $3million in 2006.
According to , the ruling bars any retrial in the case.
Joel A. Ready, an attorney with Cornerstone Law Firm in Blandon, told : "The agreement itself is unusual.
"Basically, I'm not going to prosecute you in exchange for you testifying in a civil deposition."
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But, charges were filed against Cosby in late 2015 - just days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired.
He was convicted in 2018 at his second trial - after a first trial ended in a hung jury.
The trial judge had allowed just one other accuser to testify at Cosby’s first trial when the jury deadlocked.
However, the judge then allowed five other accusers to testify at the retrial about their experiences with Cosby in the 1980s.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that testimony tainted the trial, even though a lower appeals court had found it appropriate to show a signature pattern of drugging and molesting women.
Cosby had vowed to serve all 10 years rather than acknowledge any remorse over the 2004 encounter with accuser Constand.
In May, Cosby was denied parole after refusing to participate in sex offender programs during his nearly three years in state prison.
Yet, as discussions continued over the 83-year-old's prison time, the Supreme Court found that district attorney Kevin Steele, who originally made the decision to arrest Cosby, should have stood by his predecessor's agreement over the civil case.
The Court said justice and “fair play and decency” require that the district attorney’s office stand by the decision of Castor.
What did prosecutors say about Cosby during the trial?
During the conviction, the court deemed the elderly inmate a "sexually violent predator" for posing an "imminent safety risk to women".
Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt called the parole board decision “appalling”.
Prosecutors said Cosby repeatedly used his fame and “family man” persona to manipulate young women, holding himself out as a mentor before betraying them.
Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Jappe argued to the justices: "There was a built-in level of trust because of his status in the entertainment industry and because he held himself out as a public moralist."
Cosby had invited Constand to an estate he owns in Pennsylvania the night she claims he drugged and sexually assaulted her.
Constand, a former professional basketball player who worked at his alma mater, went to police a year later.
The other accusers knew Cosby through the entertainment industry and did not go to the police.
When was Bill Cosby released?
Cosby was released from prison on June 30, 2021.
He was escorted back home by a team of lawyers including spokesman Wyatt.
The reported that the former actor appeared frail as he slowly walked to waiting media outside his home.
Initially he did not say anything, instead leaning on his team of aides to answer questions.
However, via a post later displayed on Twitter, Bill claimed that "I never changed my stance nor my story."
But Constand, told that she thought the star's release could discourage sexual assault victims from seeking justice through the courts in the future.
Constand and her team added that they were never aware of any agreement between Cosby and the former prosecutor that would grant him immunity.
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Three other women who have accused Cosby – Sammie Mays, Sarita Butterfield and Angela Leslie – told about the comedian's release on Wednesday, June 30, saying that they, too, think he's dangerous.
Former Playboy Bunny Victoria Valentino – who accused Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1970, when she was 24 – told : "My stomach is lurching and I am deeply distressed, he's a sociopath, he's a serial rapist."