Bill Cosby, in cuffs, imprisoned for up to 10 years for sexual assault

[webfact]

Bill Cosby, in cuffs, imprisoned for up to 10 years for sexual assault

By David DeKok

 

Actor and comedian Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse in handcuffs after sentencing in his sexual assault trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jessica Kourkounis

 

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) - Bill Cosby was marched out of court in shackles on Tuesday after a judge branded him a "predator" and sentenced him to between three and 10 years in prison for sexual assault, capping the downfall of the once-beloved comedian known as "America's Dad."

 

Cosby, 81, was found guilty in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for the drugging and sexual assault of his one-time friend Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

 

A handcuffed Bill Cosby heads directly to prison after receiving a three to 10 year sentencing for sexually assaulting one-time friend Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, at his Philadelphia home in 2004. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

 

He is the first celebrity to be convicted of sexual abuse since the start of the #MeToo movement, the national reckoning with misconduct that has brought down dozens of powerful men in entertainment, politics and other fields.

 

Cosby must spend at least three years in a Pennsylvania prison before he becomes eligible for supervised release, though he could end up behind bars for up to a decade.

 

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill ordered Cosby to be jailed immediately, denying Cosby's request for bail while lawyers appeal the conviction.

 

He was escorted out a back door of the courthouse with his hands and feet shackled and driven away in a black sport utility vehicle.

 

Minutes earlier, Constand left court with her arms folded, a smile spreading across her face as other women who have accused Cosby came to hug her. Several of those women spoke to reporters in the rain outside the courtroom.

 

Bill Cosby departs the Montgomery County Courthouse in handcuffs after being sentenced in his sexual assault trial on September 25, 2018 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. September 25, 2018. Mark Makela/Pool via REUTERS

 

"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 in the 1980s.

 

O'Neill also fined Cosby $25,000 and ordered him to pay the costs of the prosecution. There was no visible reaction from the disgraced entertainer as he learned his fate.

 

"Equal justice under the law does not allow different treatment because of who he is or who he was," O'Neill said.

 

Cosby cemented his family-friendly reputation playing the affable Dr. Cliff Huxtable in the 1980s television comedy "The Cosby Show."

 

"He hid behind Dr. Cliff Huxtable," Kevin Steele, the county district attorney who led the prosecution, told reporters afterwards. "Before he was taken away in handcuffs, a lot of people believed this was who he was. We know otherwise."

 

After the sentencing, Andrew Wyatt, Cosby's spokesman, read a lengthy statement in which he decried what he called "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States."

 

SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR

O'Neill also decided to designate Cosby a "sexually violent predator" under Pennsylvania law.

 

Under that designation, Cosby 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, certain movements and crimes, as will Constand.

 

When prosecutors told Cosby in court he would not have to inform Constand of his movements himself but that a proxy would do so, he replied: "Good!"

 

Cosby has denied any wrongdoing. Asked if he wanted to address the court with a statement before sentencing,Cosby declined through his lawyers. His lawyers had asked that Cosby be placed under house arrest, citing his age and frailty.

 

More than 50 women 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.

 

Constand said in a written statement submitted to the court on Monday 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.

 

Cosby's first trial in 2017 ended in a mistrial when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict.

 

Prison officials will process Cosby at the nearby state prison in Schwenksville before determining in which of Pennsylvania's 22 male prisons he will serve his sentence, prison spokeswoman Amy Worden wrote in an email.

 

He will be one of 86 inmates over age 80 held by Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections, where the two oldest inmates are both 91, Worden said.

 

(Reporting by David DeKok; Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; writing by Jonathan Allen; editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-26

[Samui Bodoh]

"...More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse going back decades, with most complaints too old to prosecute..."

 

I am pleased to see this monster go to jail. If only 10% of what he did were true, it would be enough for him to rot in jail forever, but based on what we have seen and heard, a LOT more than 10% was true.

 

I remember watching The Cosby Show as a kid and having great love and respect for him. Now, I feel like I need a shower when I think of it.

 

He'll likely die in jail, and I am okay with that.

 

[CelticBhoy]

What a fall from grace!

 

I imagine there are many others like him shaking in their boots right now.

[Stargeezr]

Let this rich guy spend 10 years in a normal cell, and not the ultra

comfy one he will go to. Yes the rich do not go to where the rest go.

  I believe hey have a special place, just like the rich in Canada have.

Geezer

 

[gk10002000]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

#MeToo movement

sorry but so much of the allegations were decades old, had no independent evidence or corroboration.  

[ezzra]

I'm sure that right now for him, it's the public shame and the humiliation that hurts the most and not the fact that he's going to spend some years in jail because he knows very well that he is guilty as charged and more....

[The manic]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse going back decades, with most complaints too old to prosecute..."

 

I am pleased to see this monster go to jail. If only 10% of what he did were true, it would be enough for him to rot in jail forever, but based on what we have seen and heard, a LOT more than 10% was true.

 

I remember watching The Cosby Show as a kid and having great love and respect for him. Now, I feel like I need a shower when I think of it.

 

He'll likely die in jail, and I am okay with that.

 

I hated the show.  Anodyne, sentimental rubbish. And so false. Black folks acting out white middle class fantasies.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Bill Cosby, in cuffs, imprisoned for up to 10 years for sexual assault

Good. 

[miamiman123]

Never liked the show or HIM

[quandow]

A Cosby spokesperson claimed immediately after the sentencing that this was a racist trial. Hasn't THAT card been played to death yet?

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, gk10002000 said:

sorry but so much of the allegations were decades old, had no independent evidence or corroboration.  

The question I'm asking is why, when he could have had all the women he wanted, given his fame, throwing themselves at him to be done with as he pleased. If the charges are in fact correct, he is mentally ill, IMO, rather than a criminal. If a normal guy can get all the ****** he wants from willing groupies, why would he need to resort to drugging?

It's because of his fame that I question the accusations. Famous men don't need to use drugs to get women into bed.

Seems that there are a lot of men having accusations made with very little, or no evidence, about things that happened decades ago.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, The manic said:

I hated the show.  Anodyne, sentimental rubbish. And so false. Black folks acting out white middle class fantasies.

He's been around a lot longer than his tv show. His comedy recordings were excellent.

[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.

 

[alanrchase]

45 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The question I'm asking is why, when he could have had all the women he wanted, given his fame, throwing themselves at him to be done with as he pleased. If the charges are in fact correct, he is mentally ill, IMO, rather than a criminal. If a normal guy can get all the ****** he wants from willing groupies, why would he need to resort to drugging?

It's because of his fame that I question the accusations. Famous men don't need to use drugs to get women into bed.

Seems that there are a lot of men having accusations made with very little, or no evidence, about things that happened decades ago.

 

Could it be that your opinion of women and famous people is flawed? If you are famous women just let you grab them?

[soistalker]

I hope he gets ****** up the *** by his big black buck cell mate several times a day.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 minutes ago, alanrchase said:

Could it be that your opinion of women and famous people is flawed? If you are famous women just let you grab them?

Ever heard of groupies? They do let famous people just grab them.

However, if Tom Jones had just been a plumber, I doubt he'd have had women in the street throwing their knickers at him. Fame ( and money, power ) have always been a sure fire way to get all the ****** a guy can want.

[alanrchase]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Ever heard of groupies? They do let famous people just grab them.

However, if Tom Jones had just been a plumber, I doubt he'd have had women in the street throwing their knickers at him. Fame ( and money, power ) have always been a sure fire way to get all the ****** a guy can want.

So, using your logic, a famous person can't be found guilty of sexual assault. 

[BritManToo]

23 minutes ago, alanrchase said:

So, using your logic, a famous person can't be found guilty of sexual assault. 

My logic states nobody should be found guilty of any sexual assault that wasn't reported the moment the woman had recovered enough to stagger to a police station.

Edited September 26, 2018 by BritManToo

[Jingthing]

He's convicted so guilty but sending such a not well very old man to prison for such a long sentence seems barbaric. Not because he's famous. For anyone. Also in his current state I doubt he'd be a risk to reooffend.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[worgeordie]

Expect he will be out in a few months,saying he's

too old,frail to be keep in prison,when in reality

that should never be a excuse,do the crime ,do the time.

I am sure there will be many prisoners his age in prison,

and they will stay there till their sentence ends,difference

is they are poor.

Good to see he is IN prison while he appeals,unlike here.

regards Worgeordie

[car720]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The question I'm asking is why, when he could have had all the women he wanted, given his fame, throwing themselves at him to be done with as he pleased. If the charges are in fact correct, he is mentally ill, IMO, rather than a criminal. If a normal guy can get all the ****** he wants from willing groupies, why would he need to resort to drugging?

It's because of his fame that I question the accusations. Famous men don't need to use drugs to get women into bed.

Seems that there are a lot of men having accusations made with very little, or no evidence, about things that happened decades ago.

 

 

It is because you are thinking like a normal guy instead of one of today's hybrids.  As you most probably know already most people in the world today are given their opinions by the tv set.

[car720]

30 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

My logic states nobody should be found guilty of any sexual assault that wasn't reported the moment the woman had recovered enough to stagger to a police station.

 

They usually need a little time to figure out just how much they can squeeze out of it first and how many facebooks likes they will get.

[Krataiboy]

1 hour ago, alanrchase said:

Could it be that your opinion of women and famous people is flawed? If you are famous women just let you grab them?

 

If so he is in famous company, not least the current POTUS,

[Mansell]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The question I'm asking is why, when he could have had all the women he wanted, given his fame, throwing themselves at him to be done with as he pleased. If the charges are in fact correct, he is mentally ill, IMO, rather than a criminal. If a normal guy can get all the ****** he wants from willing groupies, why would he need to resort to drugging?

It's because of his fame that I question the accusations. Famous men don't need to use drugs to get women into bed.

Seems that there are a lot of men having accusations made with very little, or no evidence, about things that happened decades ago.

 

Because it is about power and control over women. If sixty women all pretty much have the same story, then that is pretty powerful evidence in itself. Based on your criteria people that murder people are mentally ill and it isn't a crime but a mental health issue.......Rubbish. A crime is a crime. He knew what he was doing was wrong unless he is a complete moron. Let's stop making excuses for these sexual predators including Trump and Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court.

[Cats4ever]

I think he would be an excellent appointment as a justice on the Supreme Court (USA).

[Jimbo1964]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The question I'm asking is why, when he could have had all the women he wanted, given his fame, throwing themselves at him to be done with as he pleased. If the charges are in fact correct, he is mentally ill, IMO, rather than a criminal. If a normal guy can get all the ****** he wants from willing groupies, why would he need to resort to drugging?

It's because of his fame that I question the accusations. Famous men don't need to use drugs to get women into bed.

Seems that there are a lot of men having accusations made with very little, or no evidence, about things that happened decades ago.

 

 

I also wonder why they take so long to report this matter to the cops. And how you can convict someone on testimony from someone alone without any proof! Why not report it when it happened?

 

It's like the current claim in the US again with Brett Kavanaugh. Why wait 30 years and suddenly think. Oh yes now is the time to report this matter to the cops, or as many seem to do,  just go to the media . 

 

In the US it seems your found guilty without any proof. And by proof I mean forensic evidence.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, alanrchase said:

Could it be that your opinion of women and famous people is flawed? If you are famous women just let you grab them?

I seem to remember the current President talked about that.

[Kieran00001]

6 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Let this rich guy spend 10 years in a normal cell, and not the ultra

comfy one he will go to. Yes the rich do not go to where the rest go.

  I believe hey have a special place, just like the rich in Canada have.

Geezer

 

 

I believe you are wrong, rich and poor are in the same jails, those with money are allowed to spend a maximum of $330 per month on things commonly available in the jail.

[NaamGin]

Cosby has been abusing women for decades and it was an open joke in Hollyweird, just like Harvey Weinstein. It's good to see that justice is being done and the courts found evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty and must serve time, irregardless that he is 81 years old. Too many other high-profile celebrities and politicians have been getting away with this for decades. Let's hope this sets a trend for the future where no one is above the law.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Mansell said:

If sixty women all pretty much have the same story, then that is pretty powerful evidence in itself.

Alternatively, if the first one had reported the assault the morning after, 59 more wouldn't have been attacked.