Bill Cosby has broken his silence after having his sexual assault conviction overturned and being freed from jail.
The TV star, 83, spent two years behind bars in Pennsylvania until the Supreme Court ruled that the comedian should have never been charged and imprisoned for attacking Andrea Constand, per Independent.
"I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence," he wrote in a Twitter post alongside a picture of him raising his fist.
"Thank you to all my fans, supporters, and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law."
At a retrial in 2008, he was convicted of sexual assault, but he was denied parole in early 2021 because he did not take part in any sexual offender programs while behind bars.
The comedian has always maintained his innocence in the case and said that he would rather spend a decade behind bars than express regret for something that he did not do.
On Wednesday, June 30, the supreme court made the ruling that Cosby could not be charged because of an agreement made with a previous prosecutor.
Cosby is pictured below after his release from prison.
Constand, meanwhile, described the decision to overturn Cosby's conviction as "disappointing" and that it "may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault".
"Today's majority decision regarding Bill Cosby is not only disappointing but of concern in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action," she said in a statement.
She added: "Once again, we remain grateful to those women who came forward to tell their stories, to DA Kevin Steele and the excellent prosecutors who achieved a conviction at trial, despite the ultimate outcome which resulted from a procedural technicality, and we urge all victims to have their voices heard."
Cosby was first reported to the police in 2005 - a year after the alleged attack took place.
He went onto give a disposition at the civil lawsuit brought against him in 2006 that was settled for more than $3m in 2006.
But in 2015, a federal judge unsealed the testimony used in that case, which is what was used to re-open Mc Constand’s case against the comic.
However, at the time, then-District Attorney Bruce Castor, who defended Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial, refused to press charges, Independent reports.