Cosby lawyers cite ‘errors’ in seeking to overturn conviction

Bill Cosby’s lawyers are asking a Pennsylvania court to overturn his conviction and prison sentence, charging that errors were made by the prosecution in his sexual assault case.
The attorneys argued in a new motion that Cosby’s sentence of three to 10 years was too harsh because of sentencing guidelines that call for a two- to three-year sentence for the crime of which Cosby was convicted, according to The Associated Press.
{mosads}The AP reported that the lawyers also argued, as they did before the sentence was handed down, that Cosby shouldn’t have received a lengthy prison sentence because he is 81, in poor health and legally blind, according to his defense team.
The motion filed also says that Judge Steven O’Neill was wrong in declaring that Cosby is a sexually violent predator who must be behind bars because he would be a danger to the community, according to the AP.
Cosby was sentenced last month by O’Neill to three to 10 years in prison. He was convicted in April on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home 14 years ago.
In ruling Cosby a sexually violent predator, O’Neill forced Cosby to be registered as a sex offender; his name will be included in registries sent to neighbors, schools and victims. Cosby will also undergo lifetime counseling and report to authorities quarterly.
The motion filed by Cosby’s defense team also argued that O’Neill erroneously considered testimony of five other Cosby accusers when sentencing Cosby, according to the AP.
The motion also argues that an audio recording of a conversation between Cosby and Gianna Constand, Andrea Constand’s mother, was “not authentic.” The recording was played during the trial.
The motion was filed Friday by Peter Goldberger, an appellate lawyer in Pennsylvania, and Joseph P. Green Jr., a defense lawyer who worked with Cosby during his sentencing, according to the AP.
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