Sept. 25 (UPI) — A Pennsylvania judge sentenced Bill Cosby to 3 years to 10 years in state prison Tuesday for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman more than a decade ago.
The comedian must also pay a fine of $20,000 as well as the prosecution’s court costs.
Cosby faced a maximum of 10 years after a Pennsylvania judge announced Monday the three counts against Cosby would be merged since they all stem from the same incident in 2004. He was convicted in April of aggravated sexual assault for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand at his home near Philadelphia.
Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O’Neill made the decision on the 81-year-old comedy icon’s punishment after hearing from a single defense witness Tuesday morning.
The sole defense witness, Timothy Foley, a psychologist, testified that he believed the entertainer’s risk of assaulting another person was “extraordinarily low.”
“He’s 81 years old,” Foley said. “After 70 years old, the risk of recidivism becomes virtually negligible.”
The judge announced the plan after ruling that Cosby should be designated as a “sexually violent predator” under state law. The classification will make Cosby subject to mandatory lifetime counseling and community notification, but did not impact the length of his prison sentence.
A sentencing memorandum from prosecutors earlier Tuesday asked for Cosby to be jailed for “the maximum allowed by law,” which would include 5 years to 10 years, a $25,000 fine and paying legal fees. Meanwhile, Cosby’s lawyers had pushed for house arrest, citing their client’s blindness, advanced age and declining health.
A witness for prosecutors. Kristen Dudley, a member of the Pennsylvania Sex Offender Assessment Board, told the court Monday that she deemed his behavior as predatory.
His career as an entertainer spanned five decades and he won numerous awards, but he was also accused of assaulting dozens of women.
