Cosby guilty on three counts
LOS ANGELES: The jury in Bill Cosby’s retrial yesterday found him guilty of aggravated assault after about 12 hours of deliberation.
His conviction on all three counts means they determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that the comedian molested Temple University staffer Andrea Constand during a visit to his Philadelphiaarea home in 2004, despite the fact that she could not consent because the pills he gave her rendered her unconscious.
Bill Cosby remained stoic as a jury yesterday pronounced him guilty on multiple charges of sexual assault. But it was apparent to many in the courtroom, and the millions who tuned in to the aftermath of the trial on television, that they were witnessing a watershed moment.
Cosby (80) became one of the first in a line of powerful, famous men shamed out of their careers and the public eye when an unprecedented number of women came forward alleging sexual abuse, and now, he was the first to be found guilty of such crimes in a court of law.
The surprising outcome of the retrial in Pennsylvania offered hope for women who have become symbols of the growing #MeToo movement, yet who still struggle to have their cases heard by a judge and jury.
‘‘Women are believed, and not only on hashtag MeToo, but in a court of law where they were under oath, where they testified truthfully, where they were attacked, where they were smeared, where they were denigrated, where there were attempts to discredit them,’’ Gloria Allred, the attorney for several of Cosby’s accusers, said, as she stood on the steps of the Norristown courthouse following the verdict. ‘‘And after all is said and done, women were finally believed.’’
For shamed celebrities like Cosby, assuming they would never be challenged by a higher authority than Facebook, Twitter or the court of public opinion, it had to be a day of reckoning.
The testimony of five women, all of who accused the iconic entertainer of horrific acts of sexual abuse, convinced a jury that Cosby was a criminal.
Cosby, who walked into the courthouse confidently waving his cane, walked out leaning on it. He reportedly stayed mostly silent during the verdict until the district attorney asked the judge to revoke Cosby’s bail because he owned a private jet, making him a flight risk. Cosby then stood up and yelled, ‘‘He doesn’t own a private jet ... ’’
The bizarre outburst came from a fallen star who may have finally realised he was no longer facing a forgiving audience, but a criminal record and possibly life behind bars. —