Judge to Cosby: "The day has come, the time has come"
Judge Steven O'Neill handed down Bill Cosby's sentence in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania court Tuesday afternoon at 2:10 pm.
"This was a serious crime," he said. "Mr. Cosby this has all circled back to you. The day has come, the time has come."
Cosby, who is now 81, was convicted of assaulting Constand in his Pennsylvania home 14 years ago.
The defense earlier indicated it will appeal the conviction.
Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand. Given his age and no previous offenses, former prosecutors are saying this sentence, in essence, is tantamount to "throwing the book" at Cosby.
Cosby, 81, faced a maximum of 10 years in prison after prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to merge the three counts of his conviction into one for sentencing purposes.
Prosecutors asked for a sentence of five to 10 years in prison. However, Cosby's defense attorney asked for a sentence of house arrest, citing Cosby's advanced age and blindness.
Once a groundbreaking actor known as "America's Dad," Cosby was accused by dozens of women of drugging and sexually assaulting them over his decades as a powerful media figure.
Cosby was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and assaulting Constand at his home in 2004, in the first high-profile celebrity criminal trial of the #MeToo era.
Experts are saying it is likely that he will be taken into custody and transported to state prison later today to start serving his sentence.