The woman whose
complaint led to Bill Cosby's conviction for sexual assault
called for justice in brief testimony on the first day of the
comedian's two-day sentencing hearing on Monday, where
prosecutors asked for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Cosby was convicted in April of drugging and sexually
assaulting Andrea Constand, a former administrator at his alma
mater Temple University, in his Philadelphia-area home in 2004
and faces a possible prison sentence on Tuesday. More than 50
other women also have accused him of sexual abuse going back
decades.
Surrounded by her parents and siblings, Constand addressed
the court in a loud, clear voice for roughly a minute as Cosby,
81, sat nearby.
"Your honor, I have testified," Constand said. "I have given
you my victim impact statement. The jury heard me. Mr. Cosby
heard me. All I am asking for is justice as the court sees fit."
Her relatives also spoke, including her mother, Gianna
Constand, who said Cosby had tried to "destroy our reputation"
to protect his own.
Cosby is the first celebrity to be convicted since the start
of the #MeToo movement, the national reckoning with sexual
misconduct that has brought down dozens of powerful men in
entertainment, politics and other fields.
He built a family-friendly reputation playing the affable
Dr. Cliff Huxtable in the 1980s television comedy " The Cosby
Show."
On Tuesday, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge
Steven O'Neill said he must first rule on whether to designate
Cosby a "sexually violent predator" under state law. That
designation carries more onerous reporting requirements,
including monthly counseling and registration as a sex offender
with police for the rest of his life.
Kristen Dudley, a psychologist with the state sex offender
board, told the court Cosby met the criteria to be labeled a
predator and those people were likely to reoffend.
When questioned by lawyers for Cosby, who oppose the
designation, she said she had taken his age and blindness into
account, and the fact no allegations more recent than his
assault of Constand have emerged.
"He is an esteemed member of the community and is able to
meet and befriend people," Dudley said, adding that Cosby has
been accused of sexually assaulting female acquaintances. "Being
blind does not stop him from meeting people."
Cosby arrived at the courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania,
walking with a cane. A number of accusers, including model
Janice Dickinson, were on hand for the sentencing hearing.
Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent
assault, a crime punishable by a maximum sentence of between
five and 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors asked for the maximum prison sentence, citing
the nature of Cosby's crime as well as his alleged history of
misconduct. They also asked that Cosby be fined $25,000, pay
court costs and, if he ever came up for parole, he submit to a
"psycho-sexual evaluation" that he had refused prior to
sentencing.
Cosby's lawyers asked for house arrest in lieu of
imprisonment.
State sentencing guidelines, which are not mandatory,
recommend a sentence between two and four years, said Steven
Chanenson, law professor at Villanova University and a
sentencing expert.
Cosby's first trial in 2017 ended in a mistrial.