The guilty verdict in Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial was an official victory for Andrea Constand, the former basketball player who has accused the famed comedian of sexual assault for more than a decade. But for many of the women gathered at the Pennsylvania courthouse to watch the trial unfold, it was a victory for a larger movement, as well.

“I think [the verdict] will say to all women – not just Cosby survivors, but other victims – that the criminal justice system is working,” said Victoria Valentino, one of the more than 50 other women who have claimed Cosby assaulted them. “I think that we’ll understand that we have the system backing us up at last.”

Cosby was the first celebrity to stand trial for sexual assault since the start of #MeToo – a social media hashtag that morphed into a social movement. Using the hashtag, women described their experiences of being sexually harassed and assaulted – often by famous or powerful men like Cosby.

The outpouring of stories resulted in major cultural changes: Several high-profile figures lost their jobs, legislators proposed new anti-harassment laws, and sexual misconduct became a mainstay topic on front pages and at dinner tables.

But before Cosby’s trial, no one had tested whether the Me Too momentum could extend to the courtroom.

Bill Cosby: Mistrial declared

The case revolved around allegations that Cosby drugged and assaulted Ms Constand at his Pennsylvania home in 2004. Ms Constand said Cosby – a powerful alumnus of the university where she worked at the time – invited her over one night to discuss career opportunities.

Once there, she said he supplied her with wine and "herbal" pills. The pills, which Cosby has since claimed were Benadryl, left her incapacitated and unable to consent when he began groping and penetrating her.

The case originally went to trial last year, before the Me Too movement began, but ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a verdict.

This time around, the prosecution took a page out of the movement’s playbook, supporting Ms Constand’s allegations with the stories of other women who said they, too, were assaulted by Cosby. In total, five other women testified at the trial, telling the jury Cosby had plied them with drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting them.

Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Winner of his first Emmy for 'I Spy' is Bill Cosby being congratulated by his wife Camille held at Americana Hotel, 1966 Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby in 'I Spy', 1960s Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby in July 1973 in Perth Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor in 'California Suite', 1978 Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby and Elmo in Sesame Street, 1989 Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby poses for a picture with Florence Griffith-Joyner in June 1989 Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Comedian Bill Cosby back in 1992 Rex Features Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby A scene from a 1992 episode of 'The Cosby Show' AP Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby US Monica Seles breaks into laughter as she jokes with comedian Bill Cosby during a celebrity match in the stadium at the US Open for the Arthur Ashe AIDS Challenge on 27 August 1995 Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby meets Toronto Blue Jays' All-Star Joe Carter after the Stars played the Stripes in the Celebrity All-Star game which preceded workouts for the 67th All-Star Game at Veterans Stadium on 8 July 1996 in Philadephia Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Co-hosts Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby joke with each other during the opening of the 2000 Essence Awards 14 April 2000 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby jokes with baseball great Hank Aaron after they both received the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award from U.S. President George W. Bush during a ceremony on 9 July 2002 at the White House in Washington Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby poses backstage after winning the 'Bob Hope Humanitarian Award' during the 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on 21 September 2003 in Los Angeles Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby 'Tonight Show' host Jay Leno and comedian Bill Cosby laugh during a surprise visit by Cosby to sign a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that Leno is using to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina at NBC studios on 9 September 2005 in Burbank, California Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby speaks during a taping of 'Meet the Press' at the NBC studios on 14 October 2007 in Washington Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby at the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center on 26 October 2009 in Washington Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby speaks at the National Action Network's 20th annual Keepers of the Dream Awards gala in New York on 6 April 2011 Reuters Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby during the 100th anniversary celebration of the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows supporting the Motion Picture & Television Fund and the American Comedy Fund, 2012 Getty Images Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby speaks onstage at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund 25th Awards Gala on 11 November 2013 in Washington Bill Cosby: Career in pictures Bill Cosby Bill Cosby performs at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino on 26 September 2014 in Las Vegas

Ms Valentino said she felt this was emblematic of the movement as a whole – what she called a “big support group" of people who had started to make their allegations public.

“I think that was an important part of [the Cosby accusers] speaking out in the beginning, because we gave other women information on speaking out,” she added. “And now look at this tsunami of energy and movements of women saying: ‘Hey, we’ve had enough.’”

Cosby’s defence team, however, had a different view of the movement. Attorney Kathleen Bliss criticised #MeToo as a form of “mob rule,” which she said relied on emotions instead of evidence.

"Questioning an accuser is not shaming a victim. Gut feelings are not rational decisions,” she told the courtroom in her closing statement, in which she compared the movement to witch hunts, lynching, and McCarthyism.

The defence team also attacked the character of the women who testified, calling Ms Constand a “pathological liar” and saying the other accusers were only looking for fame or money.

Bill Cosby arrives at court

Ms Valentino admitted that watching the court proceedings was difficult. But she and other supporters of Ms Constand said they felt the process was worth it.

Shari Botwin, a therapist who attended the trial alongside several of Cosby’s accusers, wrote an editorial about the case last year. Afterward, she heard from dozens of women and men as old as 60, who said they had been sexually assaulted, too. They said they were too afraid to speak out before this trial.

The case, Ms Botwin said, challenged a lot of stereotypes about sexual assault: That victims had to say no, that assailants had to be a stranger, and that no one would believe survivors.

“Ever since this story broke in 2016, I feel like what has been happening is more women and men are starting to feel like, ‘If I came forward, someone actually will believe me’,” Ms Botwin said.