Bill Cosby Reportedly Laughed, Joked Before Going Into Custody

Bill Cosby reportedly burst into a fit of laughter on Sept. 25, just moments after he was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for a 2004 sex assault conviction.

Cosby, 81, was cracking jokes with his legal team in a Montgomery County court as sheriff’s officers took him into state custody, the New York Post reported. The Associated Press also reported that he was laughing and cracking jokes after the sentencing was over.

The Post report said that Cosby, who is now a convicted sex offender, handed over his wallet, tie, and watch to authorities. According to AP, Cosby is legally blind and uses a cane.

“My reasons for the sentence are the reasons I’m relying on in denying this defendant bail. This is a serious crime he’s been sentenced for,” Judge Steven O’Neill said in court.

“For decades, the defendant has been able to hide his true self and hide his crimes using his fame and fortune. He’s hidden behind a character created, Dr. Cliff Huxtable,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said on Sept. 25, AP reported. “Now, finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked, and we have seen the real man as he is headed off to prison,” he said.

Cosby had been free on $1 million bail since he was arrested in December 2015. In April 2018, he was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.

Cosby’s defense team argued that the sentence of three to 10 years would cause “excessive hardship” to the elderly comedian. “What does an 81-year-old man do in prison?” attorney Joseph Green said, Fox News reported. “How does he fight off the people who are trying to extort him, or walk to the mess hall?”

Cosby didn’t speak before the sentence was handed down to him. His wife, Camille, wasn’t present with him in court, AP reported.

Under the guidelines, Cosby has to serve three years in prison before he can be eligible for parole. He also was fined $25,000 and was declared a “sexually violent predator,” the AP report said.

The New York Times reported that 10 women who had accused Cosby of sexual abuse were in the courtroom to witness the sentencing.

“Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it,” said Constand, according to the publication.

“I’m grateful to Andrea for standing strong,” said Kathrine McKee, who had sued Cosby for defamation, USA Today reported. “I suffered for 40-plus years. He’s got three to 10 years. He shows no remorse whatsoever. He’s not sorry at all. ... I’m glad he was convicted. I’m grateful that the judge has given him this time. I say a prayer for all of us women who have been affected by this through Bill Cosby’s hands.”

“The harrowing memory of rape continues to this day,” former supermodel Janice Dickinson’s said in a statement, according to the USA Today report. “At one point, I moved to Milan, Italy, to get away (but) the rape is etched into my soul. ... I will never be the same.”