Rise and fall of Bill Cosby
FIRST MAJOR CELEBRITY IMPRISONED IN THE #METOO ERA VOWS TO APPEAL HIS CONVICTION
It was 2005 when Andrea Constand reported that a year earlier, when she was managing the women’s basketball team at Temple University, she had been drugged and sexually assaulted by her mentor at the school — Bill Cosby.
Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the comedian and TV icon, citing insufficient evidence. It would take 13 years, two trials and an army of other accusers coming forward for Constand to be vindicated. On Tuesday, Cosby, 81, was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison by a Pennsylvania judge, having been convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and molesting Constand.
A publicist for Cosby complained that his conviction stems from a racist and sexist justice system, as the defence vowed to appeal the trial and its judgement.
Why is this verdict so important?
Cosby is the first major celebrity imprisoned in the #MeToo era, in which sexual assault victims have been emboldened to come forward to hold powerful perpetrators to account. Such claims have forced powerful politicians and businessmen to resign and raised the expectations for schools and workplaces around America to prevent abuse.
Who else is in the news for this?
But proving those allegations in criminal court is another story, and Cosby’s conviction shows how difficult that remains. The case isn’t the only sexual assault story this week. The #MeToo movement is navigating its most partisan arena yet, as the US Senate weighs how to evaluate allegations of sexual misconduct by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Is there any problem with such convictions?
Senators and media figures have argued over the appropriate standards to use in evaluating the truthfulness of one woman accusing Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her in high school and another accusing him of exposure in college. Kavanaugh has strongly denied both allegations, and some of his Republican supporters have suggested the allegations have been concocted by Democrats for political reasons. Democrats, in turn, have accused Republicans of downplaying the allegations for political reasons.
How has Cosby reacted?
A publicist for Cosby complained that his conviction and the prison terms stem from a rac- ist and sexist justice system. Cosby, 81, spent his first night alone in a Pennsylvania prison after being accustomed to a life filled with household help. He could eventually be sent to a state prison that has separate units for geriatric prisoners and sex offenders. Spokesman Andrew Wyatt said Cosby was “one of the greatest civil rights leaders in the US for over the past 50 years”, while decrying the trial as the “most sexist and racist” in US history.
Wht’s wrong with the criminal justice system?
The criminal justice system in the US declined to prosecute Cosby for more
than a decade, until a wave of media reports revealed that at least 60 women had accused Cosby of sexual misconduct. The 2015 election of a new Montgomery County prosecutor, Kevin Steele, renewed interest in pursuing charges against Cosby, along with the revelation that Cosby had admitted in a deposition that he had drugged women to have sex with them. Cosby was arrested and charged, shortly before the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Why is Cosby’s sentence regarded as exceptional?
A trial in 2017 ended with a hung jury, but in a second trial this year, multiple women were allowed to testify, making allegations that were similar to those by Constand. Cosby maintains his innocence, and his lawyers plan to appeal his conviction.
The criminal justice system’s standards are often hard to meet for sexual assault victims. Fewer than a third of sexual assault victims report it to the police, and fewer than 4 per cent of victims see their perpetrators convicted and imprisoned, according to statistics from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, an advocacy group known by the acronym RAINN. Which would make Cosby’s sentence an extreme exception regardless of how long it took to achieve justice. “We are grateful that the court understood the seriousness of Cosby’s crime and sentenced him to prison,” RAINN said in a statement. “Let’s hope that the legacy of this case is that victims feel empowered to come forward.
Are there any other accusers in the case?
Some 60 other women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, but charges have not been brought because of the statute of limitations. However, Cosby does face defamation lawsuits for branding his accusers liars. “I’m overwhelmed by the number of women who were willing to go through this process with us... telling their stories of being drugged, assaulted or raped by Bill Cosby,” said District Attorney Steele.
“We’re glad that judgement day has finally come for Mr Cosby,” said celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, who represented some of his accusers.