Cosby sentenced to prison, officially classified a predator

Saying it was “time for justice,” Judge Steven O’Neill on Tuesday gave Bill Cosby a sentence of three to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004. O’Neill denied the 81-year-old comedian’s request for bail pending appeal and also declared him a sexually violent predator. Cosby’s classification as a “SVP” means he must undergo monthly counseling for the rest of his life and report quarterly to authorities. His name will appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools, and victims.

The sentencing closes out a yearslong pursuit of justice for victim Andrea Constand and dozens of other women who say the comedian abused them over the years. Prosecutors initially declined to charge Cosby in Constand’s assault in 2005, and he settled a civil claim with her. New prosecutors reopened the case in 2015 after reading a deposition from the civil case in which Cosby admitted to a long list of sexual liaisons that involved either pills or alcohol. Jurors could not reach a verdict in Cosby’s first trial in 2017 but found him guilty of sexual assault at a retrial in April. At the sentencing, his lawyers argued he should remain on house arrest because of his age and failing health. Prosecutors called for a prison sentence of five to 10 years.