Judge Steven T. O'Neill sentenced Bill Cosby with three to 10 years in prison after he was charged guilty of sexual assault.
The decision was made on Sept. 25. at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Furthermore, the stand-up comedian and actor faced a $35,000 fine.
Cosby was convicted with accounts of aggravated indecent assault after he drugged and assaulted Andrea Constand in his Philadelphia home 14 years ago.
Cosby's Sexual Assault Case
According to the statement of the victim, the entertainer took her beautiful and healthy youthful spirit and crushed it.
"It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come," said the judge.
Cosby did not speak before the judge decided his sentence. Additionally, his wife, Camille, was not present in the courtroom. He was also seen chatting and laughing with his team. After the judge announced the sentence, Constand was seen beaming with happiness and was hugged by others who were present in the courtroom.
Janice Dickinson, a famous supermodel in the '80s, is among the 60 women who came forward with sexual allegations against Cosby over the past five decades. According to reports, Cosby drugged and violated them.
"There is solace, absolutely. It is his fame and his fortune and his phony philanthropy that has allowed him to get away with impunity," said Lili Bernard, another Cosby victim. She added that she hopes his sentence will echo a message to other influential perpetrators that justice will be served, and they too will be punished.
Rise Of The #MeToo Movement
The 81-year-old is just one of the many celebrities who was charged with sexual assault during the rise of the #MeToo era. Additionally, the president of the National Organization for Women of New York said that the women who accused Cosby immensely aided in paving the way for the movement.
She also stated that his arrest is a message to powerful predators that it does not matter where they come from. Whether it be the Supreme Court, Wall Street, or Hollywood, they will not be safeguarded at the expense of the ones they assaulted.
Notably, another stand-up comedian, Hannibal Buress, previously urged people to know more about the case against Cosby.
"He gets on TV, 'Pull your pants up black people, I was on TV in the '80s! I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom!' Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches," he stated, adding that people should educate themselves on the assault Cosby committed.
