The sentencing of disgraced comedian Bill Cosby began Monday with a state board psychiatrist who testified regarding the question of whether Cosby should be classified as a “sexually violent offender,” the Associated Press reported.
During testimony in a Pennsylvania courtroom, Kristen Dudley told the court evidence indicates that Cosby has an urge to violate women that he’s unable to control.
Cosby, 81, was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault in April, stemming from the accusations of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand, who said the comedian drugged and molested her at his Pennsylvania home in 2004. The initial trial ended in a mistrial in July 2017 after the jury was unable to reach a verdict following five days of deliberations. However, numerous other women have also accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, which Cosby has denied.
During Monday’s testimony, Dudley said that Cosby’s assault of Constand matched a predatory behavioral pattern for Cosby.
The comedian faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years on each count he was convicted of. However, the AP reported, Cosby would likely receive somewhere from one to four years due to Pennsylvania’s sentencing guidelines, and Cosby’s defense attorney Joseph Green has contended that prison time would be an “excessive hardship,” suggesting that an alternative punishment program be considered.
Cosby’s legal team has argued that the state law that could allow the comedian to be classified as a sexually violent predator is unconstitutional, the AP reported. If classified as such, Cosby would be required to notify the community of his whereabouts. He would also be required to undergo lifelong counseling.
On Monday, Constand also briefly testified, saying that she is seeking “justice as the court sees fit.”
According to Cosby’s lawyer, a psychologist, who is scheduled to testify on Tuesday, is the sole defense witness for Cosby in the sentencing hearing.
Cosby is expected to be sentenced Tuesday.