September 24, 2018 / 5:05 AM / Updated 2 hours ago
Cosby sentencing begins, capping fall from 'America's Dad' to convicted felon
David DeKok
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) - Bill Cosby’s downfall from “America’s Dad†to convicted felon reached its final chapter in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Monday, as a judge began deciding whether to sentence the 81-year-old comedian to prison for sexual assault.
Cosby, who was found guilty in April, 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.
Cosby, who once had a family-friendly reputation as the 1980s television comedy “The Cosby Show,†was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former administrator at his alma mater Temple University, at his Philadelphia-area home in 2004. More than 50 other women also have accused him of sexual abuse going back decades.
Cosby arrived at the courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, at about 8:30 a.m. EDT, walking with a cane and holding the arm of his spokesman, Andrew Wyatt. A number of accusers, including model Janice Dickinson, were on hand for the sentencing hearing, which is expected to last two days.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-cosby/cosby-sentencing-begins-capping-fall-from-americas-dad-to-convicted-felon-idUSKCN1M411O
