Cosby on release: "I always protested my innocence"

Bill Cosby’s alleged sexual offenses were well documented in court – and eventually led to his conviction. But now a formality overturns his judgment and brings him free.

Philadelphia – Bill Cosby is assisted by a member of his team as he walks through his Philadelphia home lot. The 83-year-old is shaky on his feet, but stretches his arm up and makes the victory sign.

The US star actor, who fell from grace and became the first convict of the #MeToo era, has been a free man again since yesterday. The highest court in the US state of Pennsylvania had surprisingly overturned Cosby’s conviction of sexual assault due to a procedural error on Wednesday. Because of the deal of a public prosecutor who previously dealt with the case, Cosby should not have been charged in this matter, it said in an almost 80-page statement. The process should not be rolled out again.

“He is extremely happy to be at home and looks forward to being with his wife and children,” said Cosby’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean at an impromptu press conference at the ex-entertainer’s estate, who was out of jail hours earlier had been released.

Following the overturning of the sexual assault sentence and the surprise release, US actor Bill Cosby spoke up on Twitter. “I never changed my attitude or my story. I’ve always protested my innocence, “said a statement by the 83-year-old.

The Pennsylvania judges had stated their high-profile decision in an 80-page statement with an earlier agreement on Cosby. Because of the deal of a prosecutor previously involved in the case, Cosby should not have been charged in this matter, it said. The process should not be rolled out again. In previous years, numerous appeals and early release applications had been denied by other courts.

In his statement, Cosby thanked the judges for upholding the rule of law. He also thanked all those fans, supporters and friends who had stuck to him during this “ordeal”.

The current decision surprised many in the USA and caused shock and perplexity to a large extent. “I am angry to hear this news. I personally know women who were knocked unconscious and raped by this man using drugs. Shame on the court for this decision, “commented actress Amber Tamblyn on Twitter. #Metoo activist and actress Rosanna Arquette called the decision “disgusting”. Phylicia Rashad, who played Cosby’s wife on the Cosby Show, responded happily: “A terrible injustice has been corrected,” she wrote.

Bill Cosby was once considered a superstar and America’s model father, then became the first famous convict of the #MeToo era, the global movement against sexual harassment. More than 60 women had accused Cosby of various types of sexual assault. In the process, however, there was only one case from 2004. The jury saw it as proven that Cosby had made a woman helpless with pills and then sexually coerced. The entertainer had always denied the allegations.

In 2018, Cosby was sentenced to a minimum of three and a maximum of ten years in prison for sexual assault. The judgment also had a signal effect in the era of #MeToo. Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been a convicted sex offender since last year, and the trial of musician R. Kelly is due to start in August for similar allegations.

Cosby sat as inmate “NN7687” in the institution “SCI Phoenix” with around 2,400 inmates in Pennsylvania since September 2018. Sports and speeches to fellow inmates determined the everyday life of the almost blind, according to his spokesman. The actor’s life’s work seems overshadowed – but Cosby always insisted: he was innocent and felt “no remorse”. dpa