The joke that led to the slow death of ‘untouchable’ Bill Cosby
BILL Cosby is spending his first night in jail after a judge deemed him a “sexually violent predator” - but the comedian’s downfall can be traced to another stand-up who dared speak up.
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RUMOURS of Bill Cosby’s behaviour towards women had been whispered for years but four years ago Hannibal Buress had the guts to say it on stage.
In 2014 Buress just came straight out and called Cosby a rapist in front of an audience in Philadelphia.
The comedian’s joke has been hailed as the fired bullet that led to the slow death of Cosby’s comedy career.
“Bill Cosby has the f***ing smuggest old black man public persona and I hate it,” Buress said.
“He gets on TV (and says), ‘Pull your pants up black people, I was on TV in the Eighties! I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom!’ Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches. ‘I don’t curse on stage!’ Well, yeah, but you’re a rapist.”
Video filmed from the crowd of Buress’ joke went viral - and it’s been viewed 1.7 million times since it was uploaded on October 29, 2014.
Afterward, it was as though a pact of silence had been lifted and dozens of women came forward with their allegations against Cosby.
From there Cosby became the punchline as the comedy world turned their backs on the man who was once considered untouchable.
AMERICAN DAD TO SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR
Cosby will now spend between three to 10 years in prison and he’s been tagged a “sexually violent predator”.
Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced the disgraced comedian and ordered him to go straight to jail.
The 81-year-old was found guilty in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for the drugging and sexual assault of his one-time friend Andrea Constand, a former university administrator, at his Philadelphia home in 2004.
Cosby is the first celebrity to be convicted of sexual abuse since the start of the #MeToo movement.
During sentencing he bit his finger and looked up at the ceiling as Judge O’Neill read out his punishment.
“It was planned predation — the pills, the planning, the penetration without her consent, your own words in your deposition,” Judge O’Neill said.
“You claimed her silence was her consent, that is not the law. Your version of consent was rejected by the jury. That underscores how serious this crime is.”
“No one is above the law, and no one should be treated differently, or disproportionately, in terms of where they live, who they are, or in terms of wealth or philanthropy.”
The prosecution had asked for Cosby to be sentenced to five to 10 years in prison, while his lawyers asked for house arrest, saying the legally blind Cosby is too old and helpless to do time.
Judge O’Neill deemed Cosby a “sexually violent predator.” This means he will spend the rest of his life in periodic counselling and treatment, in addition to having to register for life with the state police.
The public will also be notified of his address, offences and photo wherever he goes.
Montgomery County District lawyer Kevin Steele posed a series of standard questions to Cosby about whether he understood the implications of being labelled something so serious.
“You understand that you will be required to register with the Pennsylvania state police for the remainder of your lifetime?” he asked
“Yes,” Cosby responded.
Judge O’Neill ordered Cosby to be jailed immediately, denying Cosby’s request for bail while lawyers appeal the conviction.
He was escorted out a back door of the courthouse with his hands and feet shackled and driven away in a black sport utility vehicle
He must serve at least three years in a Pennsylvania prison before he’s eligible for supervised release.
Judge O’Neill also fined Cosby $US25,000 ($34,410) and ordered him to pay the costs of the prosecution.
“Equal justice under the law does not allow different treatment because of who he is or who he was,” he said.
WIFE DEFENDS COSBY
Cosby’s wife Camille, who was not in court for sentencing, released a statement claiming that a prosecutor used “falsified evidence” to win a conviction against her husband.
She claimed that Kevin Steele, at trial, presented doctored audio of a recorded phone conversation between Cosby and the accuser’s mother.
She said the defence team plans to raise the issue on appeal.
Mr Steele rejected the allegation, saying: “If that’s what they’ve got, it’s beyond a Hail Mary.”
Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s publicist, called the trial the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States and compared the comedian to Jesus Christ.
“Mr Cosby knows that God is watching over him,” he said. “They persecuted Jesus and look what happened. Not saying Mr Cosby is Jesus, but we know what this country has done to black men for centuries.”
“Mr. Cosby’s doing great. He knows that these are lies. They persecuted Jesus and look what happened. Everybody who wants to say anything negative, you’re a joke as well,†Cosby’s publicist Andrew Wyatt says after a 3-10 year state prison sentence was handed down #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/xOw37sfbG3
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) September 25, 2018
Protesters called out “justice for women” as the Mr Wyatt read out his statement..
DOWNFALL OF A PREDATOR
Dr Kristen Dudley, a member of the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, previously designated Cosby as a “predator.”
On Monday, Dr Dudley testified that given Cosby’s 30-year penchant for “nonconsenting women,” she was unable to say whether he was done preying on women.
“It is possible he has already met someone who could be a future victim,” she said.
“I find the Commonwealth has a clear and convincing standard,” Judge O’Neill said in court.
Cosby showed no reaction — as one of his accusers, Chelan Lasha, pumped her fist into the air in the audience during sentencing.
Ms Constand left court with her arms folded and smiling as other women who accused Cosby came to hug her.
More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse going back decades, with most complaints too old to prosecute. The Constand case was the only allegation that led to criminal charges.
Constand said in a written statement to the court on Monday that the attack had turned her into a woman who was “stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward.”
“Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it,” she wrote.
“He hid behind Dr Cliff Huxtable,” Kevin Steele told reporters after the verdict.
Cosby has denied any wrongdoing.
Cosby’s side didn’t call any character witnesses in court.
Prison officials will process Cosby at a state prison before determining in which of Pennsylvania’s 22 male prisons he will serve his sentence.
Bill Cosby became the first black actor to star in a prime-time TV show, I Spy, in 1965. He remained a Hollywood A-lister for much of the next half-century.
The proceedings took place as another extraordinary #MeToo drama continued to unfold on Capitol Hill, where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces allegations of sexual misconduct from more than three decades ago.