Bill Cosby's Request for Parole Denied After He Refuses Sex Offender Therapy
Bill Cosby is taken away in handcuffs after being sentenced to 3-10 years in his sexual assault retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse on September 25, 2018 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. In April, Cosby was found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004 and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. 60 women have accused the 81 year old entertainer of sexual assault. Mark Makela/Getty Images

Actor Bill Cosby had his parole denied by the Pennsylvania Parole Board after he petitioned to be released from a 10-year prison sentence.

The 83-year-old comedian's request was turned down after he refused to participate in a sex offender and violence prevention program during a virtual interview on May 7.

Laura Treaster, a spokesperson for the state parole board, told People that the parole board would interview Cosby again after being notified that he has completed "his programming."

Citing the Department of Corrections database, Treaster noted that Cosby's maximum sentence date is Sept. 25, 2028. Bill Cosby's side responded on the matter through a representative, saying that the parole board's decision was a huge surprise to the actor, his family, friends, and the legal team.

The statement said that Bill Cosby still proclaims his innocence and continues to deny all allegations made against him as false without any evidence or proof.

It added that Bill Cosby continues to be hopeful that the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court will release an opinion to leave his conviction or allow him a new trial.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had heard arguments at a virtual hearing on Dec. 1, 2020, on whether the comedian was fairly convicted. However, the court has yet to issue a ruling.

This is not the first time that Bill Cosby has been denied release. He was not released last April due to his sex offender status that made him ineligible.

Bill Cosby's Sex Offense

Allegations against Bill Cosby dates back to November 2002 when a director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team, Andrea Constand, allegedly met with the actor.

Constand claimed that Cosby assumed a role as her mentor. The actor had been a member of Temple's track and field football teams.

Constand said that she visited Bill Cosby at his home in Cheltenham in January 2004. He allegedly gave her "herbal" pills to ease her anxiety, and the actor has touched her private parts and rubbed his penis against her hand.

A California lawyer had also accused the actor of sexual assault. Lawyer Tamara Green alleged Cosby of drugging her and sexually assaulting her in the 1970s, Vulture reported. Green said that Cosby had left two $100 bills on her coffee table afterward.

On Mar. 8, 2005, Constand filed a civil complaint against Cosby. Thirteen other women alleged similar experiences and were mentioned in court papers as Jane Doe witnesses.

One woman named Beth Ferrier claimed that she was in a relationship with the actor. It ended when he allegedly drugged her coffee and woke in a car.

Ferrier recalled that her clothes were a mess, her bra hooks got undone, and her top was untucked when she woke up alone in her car.

In November 2006, Bill Cosby settled with Constand. But the terms were not disclosed, and none of the 13 women had testified.

New accusers had surfaced in 2014, with Joan Tarshis alleging Bill Cosby of drugging and assaulting her on two occasions in 1969. A former waitress at Cosby's Café Figaro, Linda Joy Traitz, had also accused the actor of drugging her in the early '70s.

On Dec. 30, 2015, Bill Cosby was charged with three counts of sexual assault in the Constand case. He had surrendered his passport and was released on a $1 million bail following his arraignment. In September 2018, a Pennsylvania judge sentenced the actor to three to 10 years in state prison.

WATCH: Bill Cosby Sentenced To 3 To 10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault - From NBC News