Comedian Bill Cosby, 81, has been sentenced to three to 10 years in a Pennsylvania state prison for drugging and molesting a woman in 2004.
Axar.az reports citing RT that Cosby was sentenced on Tuesday over the assault, which took place at his Philadelphia home back in 2004. The sentence was a bit lighter than demanded by prosecution, which urged the judge to put the comedian from five to 10 years behind bars.
“No one is above the law and no one should be treated differently or disproportionately based on where they live or who they are,” or based on “wealth, celebrity, philanthropy,” Judge Steven O’Neil said Tuesday, sentencing the actor.
“I don’t remember anyone ever sentencing a blind octogenarian to state prison,” his attorney Joseph P. Green said.
A Pennsylvania jury decided in April that Cosby sexually assaulted Andrea Constand and while she was unconscious and intoxicated. Each count could have seen him sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. Constand, a former Temple University women's basketball administrator, came to Cosby’s house seeking “career advice.”
"Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it," Constand wrote in her victim impact statement, submitted to the court for the sentencing hearing. "He robbed me of my health and vitality, my open nature, and my trust in myself and others."
While a number of public figures have been accused or even charged for behavior publicized by #MeToo, Cosby is the first celebrity to be actually sentenced to prison so far.
Prior to the allegations, Cosby had a reputation for championing family values. He was best known for family sitcoms such as The Cosby Show (1984-1992) and Cosby (1996-2000).