Danny Masterson of "That '70s Show" sentenced to 30 years for rape

Editor’s Note: The following article discusses sexual assault and may be traumatic for some readers.

Danny Masterson, who starred on the hit sitcom That ’70s Show, was sentenced to 30 years to life behind bars for raping two women, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Just before Masterson’s sentence was handed down at the Los Angeles Superior Court, the women involved made statements about the pain they endured at Masterson’s hands and how it affected them for years.

Masterson raped one of the women in 2003. “When you raped me, you stole from me. That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit,” she said in the courtroom on Thursday, per an AP report.

“You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent. The world is better off with you in prison,” she said. Masterson reportedly sat there with little to no reaction.

The 47-year-old was found guilty of two counts of rape in June. He was accused of three rapes, but the jury did not reach a verdict in the third case involving one of Masterson’s former girlfriends.

Masterson began acting as a child, starring in several TV commercials.

He is a Scientologist, and both women he was convicted of raping in the early 2000s are also part of the Church of Scientology.

In 2011, Masterson married actor Bijou Philips, who was seen crying in the courtroom after his verdict was announced earlier this year.

The two remain married and have a child together.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, the Ending Violence Association of Canada has a list of helplines and resources at your disposal.

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