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Bill Cosby to be sentenced for sexual assault, could face 30 years in prison

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Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault in April after a jury heard allegations from Andrea Constand. Now, the 81-year-old comedian has arrived in court to be sentenced for his crimes, which could mandate either probation, house arrest or throw him in prison for as many as 30 years.

As previously reported, Cosby was found guilty on three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault for drugging and molesting Constand, 45, at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. The guilty verdict brought an end to a long-running downward spiral for Cosby, who was accused by dozens of women of similar crimes after public interest in his rape allegations was renewed. Constand’s allegations are in line with others, but hers were unique in that the statute of limitations on the crime had not yet expired.

Sentencing begins Monday and is expected to last two days. While the judge will ultimately have the final say in Cosby’s punishment, the potential consequences for Cosby’s crimes allow for many options.

The maximum term is 10 years per count. However, a smaller jail stint, house arrest and probation are also on the table for the embattled former comedian. Given his advanced age and health issues, it’s likely that Cosby’s legal team will argue for a lesser sentence.

At the end of the potentially two-day hearing, Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O’Neill could sentence Cosby to as many as 30 years in prison or send him home on probation. The state guidelines for someone like Cosby, with no prior convictions, call for about one to four years behind bars.

Regardless, his lawyers previously made it clear that he plans to appeal the verdict.

His trial is being heralded as the first major celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. As a result, there’s massive public attention being paid to the outcome with those coming out against Cosby wondering if the court will give him a pass in terms of punishment given his fame.

“I really think it’s important that he spend some time behind bars,” said Lise-Lotte Lublin, who said Cosby assaulted her when she was 23 in 1989. The then-model said Cosby prodded her to take two drinks to relax. “At some point, he should acknowledge what he’s done, and do the time for the crime.”

Another Cosby accuser, Chelan Lasha, said he “deserves every year” of his potential 30-year sentence.

Once called “America’s Dad,” Cosby’s reputation has been in decline since comedian Hannibal Buress brought up the numerous rape allegations against the comic in 2014. Since then, more than 60 women have come forward with allegations against him.

Cosby and his legal team have shown that they want to mitigate the amount of damage being done to his reputation, starting with the classification of him as a “sexually violent predator.” Monday’s sentencing is expected to begin with a debate over this classification.

Pennsylvania’s sex-offender board has examined Cosby and recommended he be deemed a predator, concluding that he has a mental defect or personality disorder that makes him prone to criminal behavior.

Kristen Dudley, a Pennsylvania state board psychologist, testified that Cosby has an uncontrollable urge to violate young women and would probably commit another offense if given the chance. Dudley added that Cosby’s assault of Andrea Constand fits a long pattern of predatory behavior by the former “Cosby Show” star.

Cosby often befriended women, then betrayed their trust by sedating them with drugs or alcohol and violating them for the “sole purpose of his sexual gratification,” Dudley testified.

Trying to avoid the predator designation for their client, Cosby’s lawyers argued that the state law itself is unconstitutional. Lawmakers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere have repeatedly rewritten their sex-offender reporting laws after courts found them vague and unfairly punitive.

Prosecutors told Judge Steven O’Neill the law is necessary for public safety, and the judge allowed the hearing on Cosby’s status to proceed.

The legal wrangling came at the start of a hearing that will determine how the comedian will be punished for knocking Constand out with pills and assaulting her at his suburban Philadelphia home more than 14 years ago.

Judge O’Neill will have the final say Monday, with proceedings expected to extend to Tuesday.

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