US comedian Bill Cosby sentenced to jail term for sexual assault

He was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004, a BBC report said.

Apart from the jail term, Cosby is to register as a sex offender.

Judge Steven O'Neill also pronounced him as a sexually violent predator. The sentence means he will have to take counselling for his life.

The judge also denied his request for bail.

In 2017, opening about the assault, Constand said that the incident crushed her spirit.

"To truly understand the impact that the sexual assault has had on my life, you have to understand the person that I was before it happened," she told National Post.

"I was at the top of my game, certain that the groundwork provided by my education and athletic training would stand me in good stead whatever challenges lay ahead.

"After the assault, I wasn't sure what had actually happened but the pain spoke volumes. The shame was overwhelming. Self-doubt and confusion kept me from turning to my family or friends as I normally did. I felt completely alone, unable to trust anyone, including myself.

"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.   

"Instead of looking back, I am looking forward to looking forward. I want to get to the place where the person I was meant to be gets a second chance," she added.

Hailing Constand's courage, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said: "We are all better off because she is in our lives. You've heard about how this assault changed her life... To put herself out like this, for years, in front of a worldwide audience is extremely difficult for anyone.

"She could've lived a quiet life but she knew it was important to see that justice was served," Steele said.

However, rubbishing the trial, Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, said it was "the most racist and sexist" in the history of the US.

At least 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, including model Janice Dickinson and artist Lili Bernard. Both were present at the hearing.

"With my brave, badass #survivorsister #JaniceDickinson now at #MontgomeryCountyCourthouse. 2nd & last day #BillCosby sentencing hearing. #JudgeStevenOneill just announced he’s ready to hand down sentence to our rapist. May justice be served! #MeToo⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠#TimesUp⁠ ⁠ #ERANow," Bernard tweeted.

Ironically, Cosby played a loving dad in the hit US sitcom The Cosby Show, which aired in the 1980s.

 

Image: Screengrab from YouTube