Bill Cosby has been sentenced to spend 3 to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexual assault in April.
The 81-year-old actor learned his fate in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Tuesday. He was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: Bill Cosby Time Behind Bars Dramatically Cut After Deal Made Following Guilty Verdict)
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse after his first day of sentencing hearings in his sexual assault trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 24, 2018. REUTERS/Jessica Kourkounis
Earlier in the hearing, Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill ruled that Cosby would be classified as a “sexually violent predator” and as such must notify the community where he lives in of that status, according to CNN.
As part of the designation, the disgraced comedian must also undergo counseling for life and be part of the state’s sex offender registry the rest of his life.
On Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to merge the three counts against him into one, giving him the maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars. He was facing a maximum of 30 years for the total charges.
According to state guidelines, the ruling meant he could be sentenced for anywhere between 22 to 36 months in prison, plus or minus 12 months for the aggravating circumstances of the charges.
Prosecutors had asked for the judge to sentence him to a maximum of 5 to 10 years behind bars, claiming that the actor had shown “no remorse” for his actions.
But Cosby’s defense attorney Joseph P. Green, argued that due to his age he was “not dangerous” and asked for house arrest.
“Mr. Cosby is not dangerous,” Green shared. “Eighty-one-year old blind men who are not self-sufficient are not a danger, unless perhaps to themselves.”
Constand also took the stand the same day and asked for “justice as the court sees fit.”
“I have testified, I have given you my victim impact statement,” Constand said. “You heard me, the jury heard me and Mr. Cosby heard me. All I’m asking for is justice as the court sees fit.”