Bill Cosby's Sexual Assault Conviction Is Overturned 2 Years After His Sentencing

Bill Cosby will be released from prison after the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction on 30 June. This comes two years after the disgraced comedian was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand, and sentenced to three to ten years at a state prison just outside Philadelphia.

The court came to its decision after Cosby's defence challenged the conviction on two fronts. First, they opposed the trial judge's decision to allow five other accusers to testify their respective accounts when the jury was deadlocked. The defence also alleged the prosecution had previously promised Cosby they would not charge him after doubting the "likelihood of a successful prosecution." This agreement made it so that Cosby incriminated himself in a subsequent civil lawsuit. That testimony would go on to be presented during the criminal trial.

"It would be antithetical to, and corrosive of, the integrity and functionality of the criminal justice system that we strive to maintain," the opinion stated. "For these reasons, Cosby's convictions and judgement of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged."

Despite the wave of assault accusations publicly lobbed at Cosby in 2015, the statute of limitations ran out for many alleged victims. In fact, prosecutors had mere days to arrest Cosby in the Constand case before the 12-year statute expired. Constand accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2004 when she was a basketball coach at Temple University, where Cosby had been an involved alumnus. Cosby's conviction coincided with the rise of the #MeToo movement, which saw many high-profile public figures exposed for harassment and abuse.

It's currently not known if the prosecution will appeal the decision or try Cosby again.