The highest court in
Pennsylvania on Wednesday overturned Bill Cosby’s sex assault
conviction — paving the way for the former stand-up comedian’s release from
prison.
The Supreme Court ruling resulted from an agreement the
Hollywood actor struck with Bruce Castor, a district attorney, in 2005 in which
he refused to prosecute Cosby in exchange for his testimony during a civil
trial.
Cosby had been convicted of drugging and assaulting Andrea
Constand, a former Temple University employee, in 2004.
In her statement during the trial, she had said: “Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it”.
Constand, an ex-basketball player, was among the over 40
women who accused him of predatory sexual abuse.
The film star was thereafter convicted and sentenced to prison in 2018 at his second trial
— after a first trial ended in a hung jury.
The 83-year-old, who had also served more than two years of
a three- to 10-year sentence at a state prison near Philadelphia, vowed to
serve all 10 years rather than admit any remorse over the encounter with his
accuser.
But in its latest ruling, the state Supreme Court found that
Cosby’s agreement with Castor, who was the previous prosecutor, prevented him
from being prosecuted for the claims brought by Constand.
“Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated,
and he is discharged,” BBC
quoted the court as saying.
The ruling also bars any retrial in the case.
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