Bill Cosby was on Tuesday jailed three to 10 years for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, Andrea Constand.
The American comedy great, 81, was in April convicted of assaulting Constand, a former Temple University employee, 14 years ago.
She was among the over 40 women who accused him of predatory sexual abuse.
In her statement during trial, Constand said “Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it”.
“It is time for justice, Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The day has come. The time has come,” judge Steven T. O’Neill said during the ruling.
O’Neill also ruled that Cosby will be classified as a “sexually violent predator”.
Kevin Steele, Montgomery County district attorney, said: “He used his acting skills that endearing TV personal to win over his victims and then keep them silent about what he did to them.
“Finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked, and we saw the real man as he is headed off to prison.”
Lili Bernard, an actress and one of the Cosby accusers, described the verdict as a “hallelujah moment”.
“This is a momentous decision in the me-too era,” Bernard said.
“It’s incredibly important. I do have mixed emotions. On the one hand I feel absolutely elated that justice was served.
“On the other hand I also feel disappointed because clearly the three-year minimum sentence does not adequately reflect the havoc this man, this rapist, has inflicted on so many women including myself.”
Cosby’s wife, Camille, was not in court for the sentencing.
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