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Reuters MARK MAKELA
American comedian Bill Cosby
The release of comedian Bill Cosby in the highest court in the US state of Pennsylvania after he was cleared of sexual assault charges has sparked outrage and shock in the United States.
Cosby’s 2018 conviction was overturned on Wednesday for planting and assaulting former basketball player Andrea Constand.
The judges said a “procedural violation” had occurred on the part of the prosecution, but admitted their ruling was unusual.
Many have expressed concern that the move may discourage women from reporting harassment.
Constand and his lawyers said the decision was “not only disappointing, but disturbing as it could deter those seeking justice in sexual assault cases in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the perpetrator. “.
After her release, Cosby tweeted: “I haven’t changed my position or my story. I have remained steadfast in my innocence.”
Cosby was best known for appearing in the 1980s television series “The Cosby Show” and was previously known as “The American Father”.
Dozens of women have publicly accused Cosby of sexual assault, but he was only prosecuted for the incident against Constand.
His conviction in 2018 was widely seen as a defining moment in the Me Too movement.
Among the women who have accused Cosby, Patricia Leary Stoer has expressed outrage at the decision.
“More than 63 women have filed a complaint,” she told CNN. “I wonder what the 43-year-old goal of this ordeal is, the trauma I suffered and the trauma my family endured as a result. “
“I am shocked and amazing,” said Janice Baker Kinney, who accused Cosby of planting the birth control pill and raping it.
Meanwhile, a group of celebrities have condemned the move via social media.
Source: BBC
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