NORRISTOWN, Pa. – A handcuffed Bill Cosby was immediately taken into custody Tuesday after a Montgomery County judge sentenced him to three to 10 years in state prison for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand.

“It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come,” Judge Steven O’Neill told the convicted sex offender, denying his request for bail pending appeal and ordering him into immediate custody. He quoted from Constand’s statement to the court, in which she said Cosby took her "beautiful, young spirit and crushed it.”

After the sentencing, Cosby removed his jacket, tie and watch before being taken away in handcuffs, an officer holding his arm. He did not respond to a reporter's request for comment.

Cosby publicist Andrew Wyatt issued a fiery retort outside the courthouse, saying Cosby was denied a fair trial and calling the proceeding "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States." He cast blame on District Attorney Kevin Steele; a "racist and sexist mass media"; and three white female psychologists "who make money off of accusing black men of being sexual predators."

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Wyatt said Cosby was "doing great" after sentencing. "Mr. Cosby knows that God is watching over him. He knows that these are lies."

Before announcing Cosby's prison term, O'Neill ruled that he would be designated a "sexually violent predator," requiring that he register as a sex offender and undergo counseling for the rest of his life after his release from prison. Cosby was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay court costs.

The sentence is in line with the one sought by Steele, who asked O’Neill to impose a prison term of five to 10 years after Cosby's conviction in April on charges he drugged and sexually assaulted Constand in 2004. A defense attorney had asked that Cosby, 81, be spared a prison term, citing his age and frailty.

After the proceeding ended, Cosby was taken to a nearby correctional center and the prosecutor, a Cosby legal opponent and the disgraced entertainer's representatives spoke to the media.

Cosby led away to prison in handcuffs, bound forcounty jail and then state prison: After removing his jacket, tie and watch, Cosby was taken away in handcuffs, an officer holding his arm. He did not respond to a reporter's request for comment.

Cosby was driven from the courthouse in an SUV and driven to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility for processing. From there, he’ll be taken to SCI Phoenix, a new state prison outside Philadelphia, where staff will assess his physical, medical and security needs. He could end up in a long-term medical care unit.

Cosby’s lawyers asked that he be allowed to remain free on bail, but the judge appeared incredulous over the request and said he would not treat the celebrity any differently from others.

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Prosecutor: Justice has "been a long time coming": At a post-trial news conference, Steele said justice had finally been served, calling the sentence "fair and significant."

“It’s been a long time coming, but (justice) arrived when a convicted felon named William H. Cosby Jr. left the courtroom in handcuffs, headed off to state prison for his crimes," he said. "It’s been a long wait for our victim, Andrea Constand, as it has for the other women who have endured similar sexual assaults and rapes at the hands of the defendant.”

He said Cosby's fame, fortune and popularity helped him create a deceptive image.

“For decades, the defendant has been able to hide his true self and hide his crimes using his fame and fortune. He’s hidden behind a character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable (of "The Cosby Show"). It was a seminal character on TV and so was the family, but it was fiction," Steele said. "Now, finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked, and we have seen the real man as he is headed off to prison."

Cosby foe and supporters make statements outside court: Women's rights attorney Gloria Allred, who represents some of Cosby's five dozen accusers, issued a statement after sentencing outside court as rain poured down: "This is a very important day. … We’re glad that judgment day has finally come for Mr. Cosby. Mr. Cosby has shown no remorse." She added that justice has still been denied for many of his accusers.

Camille Cosby issuesstatement accusing DA of using falsified evidence: After Cosby publicist Wyatt criticized the trial and sentencing , a woman read a statement from the comedian's wife, who was not in court Tuesday, arguing her husband didn't get a fair trial: "We have now learned that Bill Cosby was denied his right to a fair trial because the district attorney used falsified evidence against him."

Camille Cosby, in the written statement, and Wyatt accused Steele of introducing a doctored recording of a conversation between Cosby and Gianna Constand, Andrea's mother. Wyatt said Cosby's legal team is preparing a motion to challenge Steele's use of the recording, calling the matter an injustice.

Contributing: The Associated Press