Bill Cosby arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Associated Press) 
 
 Bill Cosby arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Associated Press) 
 
 NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A judge declared Bill Cosby a "sexually violent predator" on Tuesday as a first step toward sentencing the 81-year-old comedian for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman over a decade ago. 
 
 The classification means that Cosby must undergo monthly counseling for the rest of his life and report quarterly to authorities. His name will appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims. 
 
 Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill made the decision as he prepared to sentence Cosby for violating Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia estate in 2004. 
 
 The comic once known as America's Dad faced anywhere from probation to 10 years in prison after being convicted in April in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. 
 
 Prosecutors asked for five to 10 years in prison. The defense requested house arrest, saying Cosby is too old and helpless to do time behind bars. He is legally blind. 
 
 Cosby's lawyers had fought the "sexually violent predator" designation, arguing that Pennsylvania's sex-offender law remains unconstitutional and that he is no threat to the public at his age. 
 
 But O'Neill said prosecutors had met their burden of proof by "clear and convincing" evidence. 
 
 When the ruling came down, a woman in courtroom shot her fist into the air and whispered, "Yessss!" 
 
 Meanwhile, Constand said in a statement submitted to the ocurt and released Tuesday that she has had to cope with years of anxiety and self-doubt that have left her "stuck in a holding pattern." 
 
 Constand, 45, said her training as a professional basketball player had led her to think she could handle anything, but "life as I knew it" ended on the night that Cosby knocked her out with pills and violated her. 
 
 Constand said she now lives alone with her two dogs and has trouble trusting people. 
 
 "When the sexual assault happened, I was a young woman brimming with confidence and looking forward to a future bright with possibilities," she wrote in her five-page statement. 
 
 "Now, almost 15 years later, I'm a middle-aged woman who's been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward." 
 
 In the years since Constand first went to authorities in 2005, more than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, though none of those claims have led to criminal charges. 
 
 The judge ruled on Cosby's sex-offender status after a defense psychologist, Timothy Foley, testified that the chances of the comedian committing another sex offense are "extraordinarily low" because he is old, legally blind and needs help getting around. 
 
 On Monday, a psychologist for the state testified that Cosby appears to have a mental disorder that gives him an uncontrollable urge to assault women. 
 
 Cosby was smiling and joking with his spokesman and sheriff's deputies as he settled into the courtroom Tuesday. On Day 1 of the sentencing, the comic laughed at times as the psychologist on the stand for the state portrayed him as a sexual predator with signs of a mental disorder. 
 
 Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom; they are generally banned in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said the former TV star planned to remain silent when given the opportunity to address the court. Cosby did not testify at either of his two trials. 
 
 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. 
 
 Tuesday's sentencing was a reckoning accusers and prosecutors said was decades in the making for the once-beloved entertainer known for his role as wise and understanding Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the top-ranked, 1980s-era "Cosby Show." 
 
 The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, which Constand and other accusers have done. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer contributed to this report. ||||| Bill Cosby arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Associated Press) 
 
 Bill Cosby arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, in Norristown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Associated Press) 
 
 NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Facing the possibility of prison at 81, Bill Cosby arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Tuesday to learn his punishment for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman over a decade ago in what led to the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. 
 
 Prosecutors on Monday asked a judge to give the comedian five to 10 years behind bars, while his lawyers asked for house arrest, saying the legally blind Cosby is too old and helpless to do time in prison. 
 
 Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said the former TV star planned to remain silent when given the opportunity to address the court. Cosby did not testify at either of his two trials. 
 
 The once-beloved entertainer dubbed America's Dad for his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the top-ranked, 1980s-era "Cosby Show" faced anywhere from probation to 10 years in prison for violating Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand at his estate near Philadelphia in 2004. 
 
 In the years since Constand first went to authorities in 2005, more than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, though none of those claims have led to criminal charges. 
 
 Tuesday's sentencing was a reckoning accusers and prosecutors said was decades in the making. 
 
 "The victims cannot be un-raped. Unfortunately, all we can do is hold the perpetrator accountable," said Gianna Constand, the victim's mother, who testified Monday that her daughter's buoyant personality was forever changed after the attack. 
 
 The hearing was set to conclude Tuesday after testimony from a defense psychologist who says Cosby is no longer a danger, given his age, and should not be branded a "sexually violent predator." 
 
 Defense lawyer Joseph Green Jr. urged the judge ignore the protests and activism surrounding the case and send Cosby home. 
 
 "The suggestion that Mr. Cosby is dangerous is not supported by anything other than the frenzy," Green said as demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse. 
 
 Being labeled a sexually violent predator would make Cosby subject to mandatory lifetime counseling and community notification of his whereabouts. 
 
 On Monday, Kristen Dudley, a psychologist for the state of Pennsylvania, testified that Cosby fits the criteria for a sexually violent predator, showing signs of a mental disorder that involves an uncontrollable urge to have nonconsensual sex with young women. 
 
 Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Cosby would no doubt commit similar crimes if given the chance, warning that the former TV star seemingly gets a sexual thrill out of slipping women drugs and assaulting them. 
 
 "To say that he's too old to do that — to say that he should get a pass, because it's taken this long to catch up to what he's done?" Steele said, his voice rising. "What they're asking for is a 'get out of jail free' card." 
 
 Cosby, he said, has shown repeatedly that he feels no remorse over his actions. And he said the sentence should send a message. 
 
 "Despite bullying tactics, despite PR teams and other folks trying to change the optics, as one lawyer for the defense put it, the bottom line is that nobody's above the law. Nobody," the district attorney said. 
 
 After testifying for several hours at two trials, the first of which ended in a hung jury, Constand spoke in court Monday for just two minutes. 
 
 "The jury heard me. Mr. Cosby heard me. Now all I am asking for is justice as the court sees fit," said Andrea Constand, who submitted a much longer victim-impact statement that wasn't read in court. 
 
 The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, which Constand and other accusers have done. 
 
 Cosby's side didn't call any character witnesses, and his wife of 54 years, Camille, was not in court Monday. 
 
 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. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer contributed to this report. ||||| This article is over 3 months old 
 
 Cosby’s lawyer argues prison sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand would be an ‘excessive hardship’ 
 
 Bill Cosby: prosecutors ask for five- to 10-year prison sentence 
 
 Prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence Bill Cosby to five to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, while his lawyer argued that the 81-year-old comedian is too old and frail to serve time behind bars. 
 
 How Bill Cosby went from 'America's dad' to convicted sex offender Read more 
 
 The disgraced entertainer, a once-beloved actor and comedian known as “America’s Dad”, was convicted earlier this year of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004 at his home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. 
 
 He arrived at the Montgomery county courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on Monday to learn his fate at the two-day sentencing hearing. 
 
 In a brief appearance on the first day of the sentencing hearing, Constand asked the judge for “justice as the court sees fit”. 
 
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 “The jury heard me. Mr Cosby heard me,” Constand said. “All I am asking for is justice as the court sees fit.” 
 
 District attorney Kevin Steele asked for a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison. 
 
 “Nobody is above the law. Nobody,” Steele said, arguing that a tough sentence is appropriate because of the “seriousness and deviance” of Cosby’s crime and because he has refused to take responsibility for his actions: “No remorse. No remorse.” 
 
 “The proper place for the defendant is to be sentenced to state incarceration, we suggest to a maximum sentence,” he said. 
 
 Cosby, who was known for his role on The Cosby Show, was accused of giving Constand pills that caused her to pass out, and then molesting her while she was unconscious. 
 
 Of the more than 60 women who have accused the actor and comedian of sexual misconduct, Constand’s is the only case to result in criminal charges. 
 
 Cosby’s lawyer, Joseph Green, said he should be allowed to remain home on house arrest. 
 
 “Mr Cosby is not dangerous. 81-year-old blind men who are not self-sufficient are not dangerous, except perhaps to themselves,” he said, adding that prison would be an “excessive hardship” for a man of his age with no prior record. 
 
 Green urged the judge to tune out all the public outrage that has surrounded the case, and not let “all of that noise” influence his decision. 
 
 “The court of public opinion can become so frenzied that it spins out of control. This is when public opinion can swallow whole the rule of law,” he said. 
 
 Judge Steven O’Neill is expected to decide on a sentence Tuesday. He will also have to decide whether Cosby should be branded a “sexually violent predator”, a designation that would require Cosby to report his whereabouts to police and go to mandatory counseling for the rest of his life. 
 
 Constand’s parents and sister, Diana Parsons, also appeared at the sentencing hearing, describing the harsh toll the assault and its aftermath has taken on the whole family. 
 
 Parsons said her sister was a completely different person after moving back to Canada following her time living in Philadelphia and her run in with Cosby. 
 
 “I was looking forward to my crazy, adventurous sister chasing my little girls around pretending to be Cruella de Vil,” she said. “Instead, I observed a frail, timid, nervous, weak, reclusive sister.” 
 
 Dr Kristen Dudley, a psychologist and member of the Pennsylvania’s sexual offender assessment board, said the disgraced entertainer shows all the signs of a mental disorder – an abnormal and uncontrollable sexual interest in “non-consenting women.” 
 
 She recommended he be classified as a sexually violent predator, saying he is likely to offend again if given the chance. 
 
 “Mr Cosby has been engaging in this behavior for over 30 years,” she said. “Mr Cosby repeatedly engaged in grooming and sexual offending behavior with young adult females.” 
 
 The expert witness said Cosby’s conduct toward Constand bears the marks of a predator: he befriended her when she worked for Temple University, where he was a trustee and major donor and then used her trust to assault her. 
 
 “He used that friendship, he used that relationship, that trust that had developed between them to take advantage of her,” she said, adding he abused her trust “for the sole purpose of his sexual gratification”. 
 
 Earlier in the hearing, Cosby’s lawyers argued the sexual offender law is unconstitutional and overly punitive. The judge rejected that argument and upheld the law. 
 
 Cosby’s team is expected to call a psychologist who will oppose the designation on Tuesday. 
 
 Cosby was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault, but both sides agreed to merge the counts for sentencing, so he faces a maximum of 10 years. State guidelines call for a sentence of about one to four years. 
 
 The former entertainer has never admitted wrongdoing. He maintains his encounters with Constand and other women were consensual. Cosby and his legal team have repeatedly but unsuccessfully tried to get rid of the judge in the case, calling him biased. 
 
 O’Neill has refused to step down. 
 
 Cosby will have a chance to speak on his own behalf if he chooses. He has been under house arrest since his conviction.
– Bill Cosby will be going to prison at 81. The judge in the case said Tuesday that he will put Cosby behind bars for three to 10 years, per AP, for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman over a decade ago in what led to the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era. Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill said he would not settle for probation or "partial confinement" such as house arrest, reports the New York Post. The judge also labeled Cosby a "sexually violent predator," reports the AP. The classification means that Cosby must undergo lifetime counseling and report quarterly to authorities. His name will appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools, and victims. The once-beloved entertainer dubbed America's Dad for his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the Cosby Show faces up to 10 years in prison for violating Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand at his estate near Philadelphia in 2004. Prosecutors on Monday asked a judge to give the comedian five to 10 years behind bars, while his lawyers asked for house arrest, saying the legally blind Cosby is too old and helpless to do time in prison, per the AP. In the years since Constand first went to authorities in 2005, more than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, though none of those claims have led to criminal charges.