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B ill Cosby was sentenced on Tuesday to three to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004. Judge Steven T. O’Neill sentenced the 81-year-old following the conclusion of the hearing to determine how long he would be behind bars for being convicted of sexual assault. BREAKING: Bill Cosby, 81, is sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for 2004 sexual assault. — The Associated Press (@AP) September 25, 2018 “It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come,” O’Neill said . It was unclear if Cosby would be immediately remanded to prison or if he would remain free on bail during an appeal, which was expected to be filed by defense attorneys. Either way, Cosby will serve at least three years and at most a decade behind bars. Bill Cosby is still in court. Judge and attorneys in chambers. Looks like a last ditch attempt to keep him from being taken away in cuffs. Defense attorneys citing a mystery tape recording. — Manuel Roig-Franzia (@RoigFranzia) September 25, 2018 “Nobody is above the law because of where they live, who they are, wealth, fame, celebrity, or even philanthropy,” O’Neill reportedly added. The sentencing took place in Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Cosby was found guilty in April during a re-trial that centered on claims from  Andrea Constand   stemming from an incident in 2004. “Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy, young spirit & crushed it,” Constand told the court Tuesday morning during her victim impact statement before Cosby was sentenced. “He robbed me of my health & vitality, my open nature, and my trust in myself & others.” More from Andrea Constand’s victim statement: Says she & her family were slandered in the media by Cosby legal team. Says Cosby legal team sought to “frighten & intimidate” her. Cites “psychological, emotional and financial bullying.” — Manuel Roig-Franzia (@RoigFranzia) September 25, 2018 The court also determined that Cosby would be labeled as a sexually violent predator, a point of contention that defense attorneys were arguing against. The prosecutor in the case was pushing for Cosby to serve 10 years in prison, but the judge hinted on Monday that the sentence may be closer to three years. Cosby’s legal team was asking for the comedian to be remanded to his home instead of a correctional facility. Prior to the sentencing, Cosby had the opportunity to take the stand and ask the judge for leniency and express remorse, but he chose not to. Cosby’s fall from grace has been especially notable because he built his career on a clean, family-friendly image that was shredded when he was indicted and ultimately arrested on Constand’s accusation that had gone all but ignored until Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele won his election in 2015 and vowed to finish the job  he said his predecessor should have started. Allegations of the TV star having spent decades drugging and sexually assaulting women were initially suppressed before the claims grew louder and more abundant, ultimately reaching as many as 60 women accusing him. Cosby’s first trial resulted in a mistrial, but a retrial was granted based on the court’s admission of a previously sealed civil deposition during which Cosby admitted giving quaaludes to women, likening the action to how someone would offer a guest “a drink.” This week’s sentencing hearing began with the expectations that Cosby would indeed be sentenced, but defense attorneys tried a last-ditch effort to stall the proceedings on Monday. According to Deadline , Cosby’s “lawyers today made a last-ditch sleight-of-hand that could knock the two-day sentencing hearing off the rails right after it started and keep him from potentially going behind bars this week.” Accusers had an opportunity to speak directly to Cosby and the court during the two-day sentencing hearing, including former supermodel Janice Dickinson. The comedian’s wife filed an ethics complaint with the state judicial board last week claiming Judge Steven O’Neill was biased, but the accusation was never really expected to affect the sentencing. SEE ALSO: All The Ways Cops Are Still Trying To Cover Up LaQuan McDonald’s Execution Amber Guyger’s Lawyer Whines That It’s Unfair She Was Fired [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3828001″ overlay=”true”]

Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3 To 10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault Conviction