Bill Cosby, the American actor and stand-up comedian, will be in a criminal courtroom in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to deal with reopened case for sexual assault of Andrea Costand.
For years, many women have accused Bill cosby for sexual assault; he has denied all allegations and has sued some of his accusers for defamation. These accusations have destroyed his reputation and his father-figure persona that made him a popular entertainer for years. However, Constand’s case has been the only one the comedian has faced.
Andrea Constand is a former women’s basketball team manager at Temple University in Philadelphia, which is Cosby’s alma mater. She said that Cosby plied her with drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting her.
A judge last year unsealed a testimony in which Cosby declared that he had a series of affairs with young models and actresses, admitted that he gave Constand quaaludes and benadryl to get her in the mood for sex, at the encounter at his home back in 2004 and portrayed it consensual. These statements are considered evidence in criminal cases.
The current Montgomery County District Attorney, reopened the case after finding out about this testimony and charged Cosby with felony sexual assault. Cosby has not yet submitted a plea.
The former Montgomery County district attorney, Bruce Castor, made a deal with the comedian in 2005 not to prosecute him for the encounter with Andrea Constand if he agreed to testify under oath in a civil lawsuit. Cosby’s lawyers have asked common pleas to judge Steven O’Neill to dismiss the case by citting this agreement. But prosecutors have said that there is no documentation that corroborates such agreement. They also said that Castor did not have the authority to forbid pursuing criminal charges against Cosby.
Kevin Steele, the new county district attorney, believes Cosby needed a written immunity agreement to avoid prosecution. He has said there is no evidence that one exists.
Source: Fox News