Bill Cosby freed from jail as court overturns conviction

Bill Cosby has been released from prison after a court overturned his sexual assault conviction, saying he never should have faced charges after striking a non-prosecution deal with a previous district attorney more than 15 years ago.

Notorious comedian Bill Cosby has been freed from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court ordered him released “immediately”, reports said on Wednesday. 

According to Reuters, the court overturned Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, saying he never should have faced charges after striking a non-prosecution deal with a previous district attorney more than 15 years ago.

Cosby, 83, had served more than two years of a potential three to 10-year sentence in a state prison.

He was convicted in 2018.

A panel of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court judges ruled that there was a “vast” violation of Cosby’s due process rights when he was criminally charged and convicted, CNN reported.

According to the report: “The panel of judges says in their opinion released Wednesday that when former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor investigated allegations of drugging and rape against Cosby by a woman named Andrea Constand in 2005, Castor felt that “he would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cosby drugged and raped Constand.”

However, Constand and her attorney said the move to vacate Cosby’s conviction was disappointing and could discourage others survivors of sexual assault from coming forward.

Meanwhile, Cosby thanked his supporters and tweeted: “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence,” Cosby tweeted. “Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”

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Picture: Twitter/@RoyOdhiambo12

Compiled by Betha Madhomu 

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