Cosby’s wife Camille slams ‘mob justice’
NEW YORK: The wife of Bill Cosby on Thursday slammed as “mob justice” her husband’s conviction by a US jury of sexual assault, attacking the media, prosecutors and his accuser in a tirade-laden statement.
“This is mob justice, not real justice,” said Camille Cosby, who has been married to the disgraced megastar for more than half a century.
“This tragedy must be undone not just for Bill Cosby, but for the country,” she added in a threepage statement, insisting her husband was innocent.
A 12-member Pennsylvania jury found 80-year- old Cosby guilty on three counts of sexual assault on Apr 26 for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia mansion in January 2004.
The sequestered panel reached a unanimous verdict after 14 hours of deliberations. Cosby’s fi rst trial ended last June with a hung jury.
Camille Cosby called for a “criminal investigation” into the district attorney, accusing his office of an “unethical campaign.” Without naming her, she accused Constand of lying, and branded her testimony “unsupported by any evidence and riddled with innumerable, dishonest contradictions.” She also claimed “relentless demonisation” by the media against her husband had “eliminated the possibility of a fair trial.” Couching her husband’s treatment as a product of race discrimination, she cited “many tragic instances of our justice system utterly and routinely failing to protect African Americans falsely accused.” Cosby’s wife appeared at his retrial only once, to hear closing statements from the defence. Her husband remains at home on a US$ 1 million bail, pending sentencing. Each count carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail. His lawyers have vowed to appeal. — AFP