Bill Cosby, who for years dodged accusations that he had preyed on women while brightening America’s living rooms as a beloved father figure, left a courtroom in handcuffs on Tuesday after he was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in his home.
The sentence capped Mr. Cosby’s stunning fall from a towering figure in popular culture to an 81-year-old convicted sex offender.
“It is time for justice,” Judge Steven T. O’Neill said as he announced the term. “Mr Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The day has come. The time has come.” Acknowledging the impact that the case has had on Mr Cosby’s legacy, Judge O’Neill added: “Fallen angels suffer most.”
Mr. Cosby, who has said he will appeal the conviction, was denied bail and ordered to prison immediately.
Bill Cosby stumbled as he was escorted to Montgomery County Correctional Facility outside Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon to begin his three to 10-year sentence.
Two officers assisted the comic, who was once known as America's Dad, as he emerged from the facility looking unsteady in a vest and braces, clutching his shirt.
Earlier Tuesday, Judge Steven O'Neill handed down Cosby's sentence for drugging and molesting a woman more than a decade ago as the 81-year-old comedian sat back in his chair with his head on the headrest.
Cosby removed his watch, tie and jacket in the courtroom before being escorted out in handcuffs while carrying his walking stick.
'This was a serious crime. It is time for justice. Mr Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come,' O'Neill said in sentencing him. 'No one is above the law, and no one should be treated differently.'
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Cosby is escorted to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility Tuesday following his sentencing to three-to-10-year prison sentence for sexual assault
Cosby is steadied by two cops as he takes a tumble - he will spend the first few days of his prison sentence at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility
COSBY IN HANDCUFFS: Bill Cosby left the Montgomery County Correctional Facility where he was processed after being sentenced to 3 to 10 years behind bars. He is now being transported to SCI Phoenix state prison.
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The punishment came at the end of a two-day hearing at which the judge also declared Cosby a 'sexually violent predator'.
The classification means that Cosby must undergo lifetime counseling and report quarterly to authorities. His name will also appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims.
Cosby was denied bail, fined $25,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs, which are expected to be more than $44,000.
He declined the opportunity to address the court during his sentencing and sat smiling, laughing and chatting with his defense team while waiting for the judge's decision.
His wife of 54 years, Camille, was not in court during the sentencing.
Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison on Tuesday for drugging and molesting a woman in Philadelphia in 2004. He was handcuffed and escorted from the courtroom carrying his walking stick
The comic once known as America's Dad was escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs and will be heading straight to prison
Cosby's punishment came at the end of a two-day hearing at which the judge also declared Cosby a 'sexually violent predator'
Cosby was escorted from the courthouse and into a dark SUV before being taken to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility outside Philadelphia where he will spend the first few days of his prison sentence.
He will then be taken to SCI Phoenix, a new state prison outside Philadelphia, where staff will assess his physical, medical and security needs.
Cosby could end up in a long-term medical care unit. He must serve the minimum of three years before becoming eligible for parole.
Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of five to 10 years in prison for the comic. His lawyers had asked for house arrest saying Cosby, who is legally blind, is too old and helpless to do time in prison.
The judge ruled that Cosby will not be entitled to bail when he appeals the conviction, which his attorneys have already vowed to do. O'Neill said Cosby 'could quite possibly be a danger to the community'.
This was a serious crime. It is time for justice. Mr Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come.
Judge Steven O'Neill
He was sentenced five months after being convicted in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era and all but completed the dizzying, late-in-life fall from grace for the comedian, TV star and breaker of racial barriers.
Cosby's lawyers had fought the 'sexually violent predator' designation, arguing that Pennsylvania's sex-offender law remains unconstitutional and that he is no threat to the public at his age. But the judge said prosecutors had met their burden of proof by 'clear and convincing' evidence.
The once-beloved entertainer was convicted of violating Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand at his estate near Philadelphia in 2004.
Constand smiled broadly upon hearing the punishment and was hugged by others in the courtroom.
Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt said immediately after the sentencing, calling it the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States.
'Mr Cosby knows that God is watching over him. He knows that these are lies. They persecuted Jesus and look what happened,' he said.
'I'm not saying Mr Cosby is Jesus, but we know what this country has done to black men for centuries. So Mr Cosby is doing fine. He's holding up well and everybody who wants to say anything negative, you're a joke as well.'
Victim Andrea Constand emerged from the courtroom smiling on Tuesday after Cosby was jailed for drugging and molesting her at his Philadelphia home in 2004
Andrea Constand embraced Janice Dickinson, a woman who has also accused Cosby of assault, in the hallways of the court following his sentencing
Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt said immediately after the sentencing, calling it the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States
Cosby was taken to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility (above) outside Philadelphia where he will spend the first few days of his prison sentence
Cosby was escorted from the courthouse in police custody in the rain on Tuesday afternoon
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