Bill Cosby to be released from prison as sexual assault conviction overturned

Bill Cosby will be released from prison today (Picture: TRACIE VAN AUKEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Bill Cosby is set to be released from prison today (June 30) after the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction.

The actor, 83, had been incarcerated since 2018, having been sentenced to up to 10 years after being found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault.

‘Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged,’ the justices wrote in their opinion on June 30.

The star had been imprisoned in Philadelphia for nearly two years after a jury convicted him of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004.

At his trial, a judge at first allowed only one other accuser to testify, but then proceeded to allow five other accusers to testify at a retrial.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the testimony at the trial was tainted, even though a lower court found that he showed a pattern of drugging and molesting women.

The star had been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 (Picture: Pennsylvania Department of Corre/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock)

Cosby had been vocal about resisting sex offender programs and refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing, even if it meant serving a full sentence. 

The actor, who starred in The Cosby Show from 1986 to 1992, had always been hoping to reverse his conviction ever since he was charged in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.

Cosby won the right to appeal his conviction in June 2020, with his lawyers also challenging his classification as a sexually violent predator subject to lifetime supervision.

Dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, with allegations spanning from 1965 to 2008.

The actor insists he had a consensual encounter with accuser Andrea Constand (Picture: Mark Makela/Pool/Prensa Internacional via ZUMA/Shutterstock)

However, Andrea Constand’s allegations were the only ones that resulted in any criminal charges.

The actor insists he had a consensual encounter with accuser Constand and has previously stated he would never express remorse to the parole board.

More: US Showbiz news

Since his incarceration, the star has been a featured speaker on numerous occasions at the Mann Up Association reform programme in prison, which strives to ‘encourage and empower African American men to strive for self-respect and dignity’.

Cosby referred to his cell in general population as ‘the penthouse’, before adding: ‘I am a privileged man in prison.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Actress Allison Mack sentenced to three years in prison for role in NXIVM cult

MORE : Mama June slams ‘haters’ after she dodges prison time for drug possession