Other Accusers Of Bill Cosby Cannot Testify At Sentencing: Judge

NORRISTOWN, PA — Numerous other women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault will not be allowed to testify at his sentencing hearing next week, a judge ruled Thursday.

Montgomery County's Judge Steven T. O'Neill rejected a motion set forth recently by the District Attorney's that asked for permission for the women to take the stand during the hearings, which are set to take place on Monday and Tuesday.

The degree of involvement which Cosby's numerous other accusers are permitted to have in his prosecution has been a point of contention all along.

In response to the ruling, Janice Baker-Kinney, one of Cosby's accusers, remained undeterred.

"I have prepared my statement and I'm ready to share with the Court and anyone else who will listen," she wrote on Twitter Thursday.

At the former comedian's retrial this spring, the DA's Office asked that 19 of Cosby's former accusers be allowed to give evidence. Judge O'Neill ultimately ruled that five of them could testify. While it was less than the prosecution asked for, that was seen as a huge victory for their side. Only one accuser was allowed to testify in the first trial against Cosby, which ended with a hung jury in June 2017.

In his order issued on Thursday, O'Neill said that the court had "no authority" to consider "uncharged conduct" — i.e., conduct from women whose accusations were never brought to criminal trial.

Andrea Constand, the former Temple University employee Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting inside his Cheltenham home in 2004, is the first and only woman to bring him to criminal trial.

Dozens of women have accused Cosby, but the statute of limitations to press charges has already expired in many of those cases.

Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts of indecent assault he was convicted of in April.

The sentencing hearing begins at 9 a.m. Monday at Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown.

Get caught up on the Cosby case with the latest:

• Cosby Team Calls For Judge's Recusal Ahead Of Sentencing
  
• State Board Deems Bill Cosby 'Sexually Violent Predator'
  
• Bill Cosby Found Guilty On All Charges
  
• Celebrities, Leaders React As Bill Cosby Found Guilty

Images via Mark Makela/Getty Images