JOKE'S ON YOU
Bill Cosby LAUGHS in court after he is jailed for up to 10 years for drugging and assaulting a woman as a judge brands him a ‘sexually violent predator’
SHAMED Bill Cosby laughed after he was sentenced to three to ten years for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman.
The disgraced comedian, 81, was seen joking with his legal team in Montgomery County court before he was led away in handcuffs last night.
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Judge Steven O'Neill branded Cosby a "sexually violent predator" as he jailed him for three counts of indecent assault following the drugging and sex attack of former friend Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004.
"It is time for justice. Mr Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come," Judge O'Neill told the comedian.
However, Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said his client was "doing great" after learning of his prison sentence.
The judge yesterday said the evidence was bolstered by five other accusers, including supermodel Janice Dickenson, 63.
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It completes the dizzying fall from grace for the comedian- who became the first big star to be convicted for sex abuse since the start of the #MeToo movement.
Cosby stumbled as he was led out of the court in handcuffs carrying a wooden cane.
When asked to comment on his sentence, he said nothing.
Cosby emptied his pockets and removed his tie before being taken into custody for his official prison mugshot,
He will spend the first few days of his prison sentence at the Montgomery County Jail outside Philadelphia.
From there, he'll be taken to SCI Phoenix, a brand new 3,830-bed state prison outside Philadelphia, where staff will assess his physical, medical and security needs.
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The fallen star's lawyers have already vowed to appeal the conviction.
His spokesman Andrew Wyatt branded it the most racist and sexist trial in he history of the United States.
Mr Wyatt said: "Mr Cosby knows that God is watching over him. He knows that these are lies. They persecuted Jesus and look what happened.
"I'm not saying Mr Cosby is Jesus, 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 who wants to say anything negative, you're a joke as well."
Montgomery County Court Judge O'Neill also decided to designate Cosby a "sexually violent predator" under Pennsylvania law.
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That means he will have to undergo monthly counselling and register as a sex offender with police for the rest of his life. Neighbours and schools will be notified of his address and crimes.
Cosby also declined the opportunity to speak before his sentence came down, and afterwards he sat and chatted with his spokesman and a lawyer, seemingly in good spirits.
His wife of 54 years, Camille, was not in court but did later release a statement saying prosecutors had used "falsified evidence" to win a conviction against him.
Cosby's victim Andrea Constand smiled upon hearing the punishment and was hugged by her friends in the courtroom.
The star's lawyers for bail but this was refused by the judge.
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Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele rejected the notion that Cosby's age and infirmity entitle him to mercy.
"He was good at hiding this for a long time. Good at suppressing this for a long time. So it's taken a long time to get there," Steele said.
After the sentencing Steele said heused his fame and fortune to "hide his true self and hide his crimes," intimidating his victims into keeping them silent for decades.
More than 50 other women also have accused Cosby of sexual abuse going back decades, with most complaints too old to prosecute.
The Constand case was the only allegation that led to criminal charges.
On the first day of the sentencing hearing, she said in a written statement that the attack had turned her into a woman who was "stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward."
"Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it," she wrote.
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Prosecutors had asked for the maximum prison sentence of between five and 10 years, citing the nature of Cosby's crime as well as his alleged history of misconduct.
They had also asked the judge to levy a £20,000 fine on Cosby and make him pay court costs.
If ever he comes up for parole, prosecutors want him to submit to the "psycho-sexual evaluation" he had refused prior to sentencing.
Citing Cosby's frailty and blindness, Cosby's lawyers had asked for house arrest rather than prison time.
Cosby's first trial in 2017 ended in a mistrial when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Soon after that proceeding, a series of women began levelling sexual misconduct allegations against influential men, launching the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
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Kathy McKee, a former actress who has accused Cosby of raping her, told CNN that listening to the news about his sentencing stirred up some "very difficult and deep emotions."
Still, she said she is happy Judge O'Neill sentenced Cosby accordingly and is grateful to Andrea Constand "for standing strong."
"I wanted 30 years, but I'm very happy to know Mr. Cosby will do time in prison," said Chelan Lasha, who gave tearful testimony in court about the time she says Cosby drugged and groped her.
When the ruling was announced, a woman in courtroom put her fist into the air and whispered, "Yessss!"
Cosby, whose estimated fortune once topped £300m, broke barriers in the 1960s as the first black actor to star in a network show, "I Spy."
Quotes from the hearing and reactions to Bill Cosby's sentence
"Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it. He robbed me of my health and vitality, my open nature, and my trust in myself and others. ...We may never know the full extent of his double life as a sexual predator but his decades-long reign of terror as a serial rapist is over." Andrea Constand, in her victim impact statement.
"No one is above the law. And no one should be treated disproportionately because of who they are, where they live, or even their wealth, celebrity or philanthropy. ...I am not permitted to treat him any differently because of who he is, or who he was. ...It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come." Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill.
"I believe it is important to point out that this has been the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States. ...You know what this country has done to black men for centuries." Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt.
"We have now learned and will prove that Bill Cosby was denied his right to a fair trial because the DA of Montgomery County, Kevin Steele, used falsified evidence against him." Cosby's wife, Camille. Steele rejected the allegation.
"Who gets the last laugh, pal?" Former model Janice Dickinson as she looked toward Cosby in the courthouse. She told jurors in April he gave her a pill he claimed would ease her menstrual cramps but instead left her immobilised and unable to stop an assault she called "gross."
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He went on to superstardom as wise and understanding Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," a sitcom that showed America a new kind of black TV family: a warm and loving household led by two professionals, one a lawyer, the other a doctor.
He also found success with his Saturday morning cartoon "Fat Albert," appeared in commercials for Jello-O pudding and became a public moralist, lecturing the black community about young people stealing things and wearing baggy pants.
He won a Presidential Medal of Freedom and countless Emmys, Golden Globes and Grammy awards.
As the allegations mounted, his career all but collapsed, 'Cosby Show' reruns were taken off the air, and one college after another stripped him of his honorary degrees.
Bill Cosby, 81, jailed for up to 10 years for sex assaults
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