Guilty of molesting woman, Cosby, 80, could die in prison
LEGENDARY US comic Bill Cosby has been found guilty of drugging and molesting a woman in 2004.
The 80-year-old star could now die in prison after being convicted of three counts of sexual assault which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.
Cosby, best known as the lovable father Cliff Huxtable from the 1980s TV hit The Cosby Show, denied the charges, claiming the sexual encounter at his home in Philadelphia with Andrea Constand, 45, was consensual and he only gave her an over-thecounter allergy medication.
The conviction marks the downfall of a man once celebrated as “America’s Dad”.
Around 60 women over five decades have publicly accused the Emmy Award-winning actor of being a sexual predator.
But dates for most of the accusations fell outside the statute of limitations and just one action was brought.
The unanimous guilty verdict from the jury came less than a year after his first trial on the same charges ended in a hung jury, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.
Ms Constand previously sued Mr Cosby, settling with him for nearly £2.4million more than a decade ago.
One eye-witnesses said Mr Cosby sat back in his chair after the verdict was announced and stared at the floor while several of the women who accused him of sexual abuse cheered.
Judge Steven O’Neill praised the jurors, calling it “an extraordinarily difficult case”. He added: “You have sacrificed much, but you have sacrificed in the service of justice.”
Prosecutors decided to retry him after the Harvey Weinstein Hollywood sex scandal, which raised awareness of alleged sexual misconduct by a number of powerful media figures.
The judge ruled Cosby could remain out of jail on £718,235 bail and he left court. Cosby’s laywer said they plan to appeal and “the fight is not over”.
Outside the courtroom two other Cosby accusers were seen hugging, crying and clapping.
During the high-profile trial jurors heard testimony from 25 witnesses, with five other accusers testifying against him.
One was model and American TV star Janice Dickinson, who told how Cosby raped her in 1982 in a hotel room in Lake Tahoe in US.
Dickinson, 63, said Cosby gave her a pill which he claimed would ease her menstrual cramps, but instead left her immobilised.