Bill Cosby will die behind bars if exposed to coronavirus, representative claims

Cosby’s representative claims that the sex offender qualifies for early release due to his vulnerability to the illness

Bill Cosby will face “execution” if exposed to coronavirus in prison, his representative has claimed.

The sex offender and disgraced comic is serving a three-to-10-year sentence in a Pennsylvania jail for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004.

He will not, however, be released early or granted confinement at home despite the coronavirus pandemic.

On 10 April, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf authorised a temporary reprieve for vulnerable and non-violent prisoners at or close to the end of their sentences. Despite his representatives arguing that he is particularly vulnerable to the illness due to his age and underlying health conditions, Cosby does not fit the criteria as he is a sex offender.

In a statement, Cosby’s representative Andrew Wyatt condemned the move.

“The news was shocking to all of us because we were told by sources close to Governor Wolf that Mr Cosby would be a direct beneficiary of his executive order,” he told USA Today. “Mr Cosby is 82 years old and he’s blind with underlying medical conditions.”

He added: “Mr Cosby wasn’t given a life/death sentence, but we feel that the State of Pennsylvania is trying to execute Mr Cosby, by exposing him to this virus.”

The facility currently holding Cosby has, as of 17 April, confirmed that 22 inmates and 13 staff have contracted coronavirus, while one inmate has died from the illness.

In a statement published on Cosby’s Instagram, Wyatt claimed that the incarcerated comic had partially blocked arteries, is blind from glaucoma, takes medication for high blood pressure and recently had two major surgeries to prevent cardiovascular failure.