That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison — with eligibility for parole after 25-and-a-half years — for raping two women about two decades ago.

The case has stirred controversy around the Church of Scientology where he and his victims met, and which stands accused of discouraging the women from coming forward.

Masterson, a 47-year-old prominent Scientologist, was convicted in June following a retrial, and allegations which previously hurt his career have now seemingly brought it to an end.

Let’s take a look back at how it all unfolded.

Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse

What happened at Danny Masterson’s sentencing?

Judge Charlaine Olmedo announced the sentence in the Los Angeles Superior Court after hearing statements from Masterson’s victims and pleas for fairness from his defence attorneys.

The actor, who had been in custody since May, sat in court wearing a suit. He reportedly watched his victims speak without any visible reaction.

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The women said Masterson drugged and raped them in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 at his house in the Hollywood Hills.

The jury had not reached a verdict on a third count, which alleged Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

“When you raped me, you stole from me. That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.

“You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent. The world is better off with you in prison.”

The other woman said Masterson “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused”.

She told the judge, “I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and I’m so upset. I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police.”

The defence sought to have sentences for the two convictions run simultaneously, and asked for a sentence of 15 years to life. The prosecution asked for the full 30 years to life sentence that Masterson was eligible for.

Masterson was offered the chance to speak, but declined. He has maintained his innocence and his wife, actor Bijou Phillips, was reportedly tearful at times during the hearing.

The judge sentenced Masterson after rejecting a defence motion for a new trial. The sentence was the maximum allowed by law, which means he will be eligible for parole after serving 25-and-a-half years, but could be held in prison for life.

“I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimised by a justice system that has failed you,” the judge told Masterson before handing down the sentence.

“But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.”

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Accusers say Scientology discouraged them from contacting authorities

Masterson’s case drew attention in part because he met his victims through the Church of Scientology, and the women said the organisation had discouraged them from contacting law enforcement.

The Church of Scientology denied that claim and said Masterson’s religion should not have been an issue in the case.

One of the women, who like Masterson was born into the church, said at the sentencing that she was shunned and ostracised for going to authorities in 2004.

Scientology said in a statement after the trial that it had “no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement”. It also denied ever harassing any alleged victims.

No charges came from the woman’s 2004 police report, but she returned to authorities when she learned they were investigating Masterson again in 2016. The other two women had waited more than 15 years before reporting him to anyone other than church officials.

The women said this week that the trauma plagued them for the decades that followed, but Masterson’s sentencing gave them some relief.

“I don’t have to carry your shame around with me anymore,” one woman said. “Now you have to hold that shame. You have to sit in a cell and hold it.”

What happened earlier in the case?

Masterson was charged with three counts of rape in June 2020.

After an initial jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of rape and a mistrial was declared, prosecutors retried Masterson on all three counts earlier this year.

At the second trial, Masterson was found guilty of two of three rape counts on May 31.

Both attacks were found to have taken place in his home when he was at the height of his fame on That ’70s Show.

What happens next?

Masterson maintains his innocence and his attorneys plan to appeal.

After he was convicted, his lawyer Ms Holley said, “Mr Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he was convicted.”

She says a team of appellate lawyers have identified “a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues” with his convictions, which they are confident will be overturned.

“And though we have great respect for the jury and for our system of justice, sometimes they get it wrong and that’s what happened here.”

Investigations have destroyed Masterson’s career

Masterson starred alongside the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace in That ’70s Show from 1998 until 2006, where he played the character Steven Hyde. The show ran for eight seasons, and has also been televised in Australia.

Masterson reunited with Kutcher for the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch, but was written off the show when he was first accused of sexually assaulting multiple women in 2017 — allegations which kicked off the Los Angeles police investigation.

His eventual conviction and sentencing is seen as another major #MeToo-era success for local prosecutors, following the conviction of film producer Harvey Weinstein last year.

Activist Angela Rose, the founder of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE), says Masterson’s sentencing is “a monumental win for survivors of sexual violence”.

“We applaud Judge Charlaine Olmedo for her decision as well as her powerful words of support for the bodily autonomy of survivors.”

ABC/wires