Bill Cosby sentencing: First day of hearing draws to a close with comedian facing up to 30 years jail time

Cosby was being convicted in April of violating Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home

Bill Cosby arrives at court for sentencing

Day one of Bill Cosby's sentencing hearing that will determine how the 81-year-old comedian will be punished for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman more than 14 years ago has been adjourned. A judge is expected to sentence Cosby in the Philadelphia area courthouse on Tuesday.

Cosby was the first celebrity to go to trial in the #MeToo era and could be the first to go to prison, after being convicted in April of violating Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Cosby walked into the courthouse on the arm of his longtime spokesman as protesters shouted at him.

Follow the latest updates in our live blog below. Please allow a moment for it to load

Court adjourned in the late afternoon on the first day of the two-day hearing. Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill has reportedly stated in court that prosecutors and defence lawyers have agreed to merge the charges against Cosby. The state guidelines for someone like Cosby, with no prior convictions, call for about one to four years behind bars.

Whatever the sentence, Cosby is likely to be deemed a sexually violent predator and will have to undergo monthly counselling the rest of his life, in prison or out. Neighbours and schools will be warned he is living nearby.

Associated Press

[24 September 2018 18:29 · Steve Anderson]

Court is due to return from a break any minute now.

[24 September 2018 18:56 · Kristin Hugo]

Bill Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt had called Cosby's verdict a "public lynching" in April.

[24 September 2018 19:15 · Kristin Hugo]

Chuck Peruto, Philadelphia criminal defence lawyer who is not involved in the case, recently weighed in on whether he believes Judge Steven T. O'Neill would allow Bill Cosby be released on bail while he appeals his conviction should he be sentenced to incarceration:

"The #MeToo movement is alive and well right now, so for a judge to allow him to stay out on bail after it was so difficult for prosecutors to convict him, I think it would be a slap in the face to the movement, and I don't think the judge is prepared to do that," Mr Peruto told NPR. 

[24 September 2018 19:42 · Kristin Hugo]

In this video, people can be heard chanting in the background as Bill Cosby arrived to the Montgomery County court earlier this morning.

[24 September 2018 19:59 · Kristin Hugo]

Bill Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt told reporters on Monday that Cosby's title as America's Dad, for his role as Dr Cliff Huxtable on the Cosby Show, can not ever be taken away from him. 

"You can't take away the legacy," Mr Wyatt said according to the AP. 

[24 September 2018 20:15 · Kristin Hugo]

Philadelphia reporter Lauren Dawn Johnson captured a photo of a woman's cart, with a depiction of Bill Cosby, with a sign reading "Guilty Guilty Guilty" 

[24 September 2018 20:30 · Kristin Hugo]

Andrew Wyatt, Bill Cosby's spokesman, told reporters on Monday that Cosby is in "great spirits" and that his team has encouraged him to "stay strong and stay focused".

[24 September 2018 20:45 · Kristin Hugo]

Andrea Constand, the woman Bill Cosby was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting in 2004, said on Monday she wants "justice as the court sees fit". 

According to the AP, Ms Constand was on the stand at the sentencing hearing for two minutes but submitted a lengthier victim-impact statement that was not read in court. 

[24 September 2018 21:00 · Kristin Hugo]

Andrea Constand's family members told Judge Steven O'Neill that Bill Cosby's assault – for which he was convicted in April on three counts of sexual assault for drugging and sexual assaulting the former university women's basketball team director at his home outside of Philadelphia in 2004 –  took an immense emotional toll on Ms Constand.

[24 September 2018 21:10 · Kristin Hugo]

Court has adjourned for the day, as Judge Steven O'Neill is expected to sentence Bill Cosby tomorrow.