Three decades after Bill Cosby became one of the most famous faces on American TV, the star of the hit sitcom The Cosby Show was found guilty of of sexual assault on Thursday.
Cosby (80) was found guilty by a federal court in Pennsylvania of drugging and violating a woman at his home in 2004 and committing three acts of indecent assault. He could face 10 years in prison for each conviction.
Six women testified over the two-week trial. The jury of seven men and five women reached the verdict after 14 hours of deliberation. Cosby will appeal the verdict, his lawyers said.
Speaking outside the court, Gloria Allred, an attorney for the three of the accusers, praised the women who took the case against a “rich, powerful, famous man”.
#MeToo
“[They] took the risk of being denigrated publicly, took the risk of being sued for what they said, took the risk of being shamed and blamed,” she said. “Yes, the #MeToo movement has arrived.”
This was Cosby’s second trial – last summer’s trial ended with a deadlocked jury.
Mr Cosby became one of the most successful African-Americans of his generation after he shot to fame as the loveable patriarch of the fictional Cosby family.
