“He is likely to re-offend,†said Kristen Dudley, a psychologist and member of the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board that conducted an evaluation on Cosby this summer. During Bill Cosby’s sentencing hearing this morning at the Montgomery County Courthouse outside of Philadelphia, Dudley testified about the 81-year-old comedian’s mental health.
She said that Cosby should be labeled as a “violent sexual predator†based on a mental disorder that compels the entertainer to have or want to have sexual relations with non-consenting women.
“The behaviors are beyond their controls,†she explained in court, “so they are urged to act on it.â€
In April, Cosby was found guilty on three felony counts of sexually assaulting and drugging Andrea Constand in his home in 2004. It’s the same home where he’s been staying under house arrest on $1 million bail complete with a wearable GPS monitoring device.
As the court awaits Judge Steven O’Neill’s decision about whether Cosby will ultimately be listed in the state of Pennsylvania’s sex registry (it’s very likely given the judge’s ruling this morning that the registry is, in fact, constitutional), more testimony is expected.
For its part, the defense had initially argued that being on the registry comes without “due process,†and would preclude Cosby from spending time with his grandchildren. The prosecution countered by saying the registry is designed to protect the community from sexual predators like Cosby, and that it was created “in the interest of the people.â€
The judge agreed. As such, Cosby could be subject to counseling for the rest of his life. If he is not sentenced to jail time, he’ll also need to register with the state police and provide notifications about where he lives and works, with quarterly face-to-face check-ins.
Cosby faces up to 30 years in prison.