This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/30/bill-cosby-appears-in-court-on-charges-indecent-assault-day-many-accusers-doubted-would-come
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Bill Cosby cuts a frail figure on a day many thought would never come | Bill Cosby cuts a frail figure on a day many thought would never come |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| For the women who have levelled allegations against him, it was a moment they thought would never come: Bill Cosby, one of the brightest stars of American entertainment, was finally brought before a criminal court. | For the women who have levelled allegations against him, it was a moment they thought would never come: Bill Cosby, one of the brightest stars of American entertainment, was finally brought before a criminal court. |
| With just over 24 hours to go until the statute of limitations expired, Cosby shuffled into a tiny courtroom to answer for actions of 11 years ago when a woman who regarded him as a mentor alleges he drugged and sexually assaulted her in his home. | With just over 24 hours to go until the statute of limitations expired, Cosby shuffled into a tiny courtroom to answer for actions of 11 years ago when a woman who regarded him as a mentor alleges he drugged and sexually assaulted her in his home. |
| Cosby, who is 78, appeared frail as he stepped out of a black Chevrolet SUV outside the Montgomery County district courthouse for his arraignment hearing. He was wearing a cable-knit black and white woolen hoodie, and walked with obvious difficulty, using a cane. | Cosby, who is 78, appeared frail as he stepped out of a black Chevrolet SUV outside the Montgomery County district courthouse for his arraignment hearing. He was wearing a cable-knit black and white woolen hoodie, and walked with obvious difficulty, using a cane. |
| He almost tripped over the curb as reporters arranged either side of police barricades shouted questions at him. He dismissed them with a wave. | He almost tripped over the curb as reporters arranged either side of police barricades shouted questions at him. He dismissed them with a wave. |
| Inside, the white-walled 32-seat courtroom felt like a village hall, with a slightly raised dais for the judge. Cosby sat quietly at the defendant’s table between two of his attorneys as he waited for the judge to arrive. | Inside, the white-walled 32-seat courtroom felt like a village hall, with a slightly raised dais for the judge. Cosby sat quietly at the defendant’s table between two of his attorneys as he waited for the judge to arrive. |
| The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes, as Judge Elizabeth McHugh read the charges – three second-degree felonies of aggravated indecent assault. | The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes, as Judge Elizabeth McHugh read the charges – three second-degree felonies of aggravated indecent assault. |
| Asked if he understood, Cosby replied simply: “Yes.” | Asked if he understood, Cosby replied simply: “Yes.” |
| He was released on bail, set at $1m. McHugh told him that his passport would be turned over to police, and that he was on no account to contact his accuser. He replied again, with what sounded almost like a chuckle, “yes”. | He was released on bail, set at $1m. McHugh told him that his passport would be turned over to police, and that he was on no account to contact his accuser. He replied again, with what sounded almost like a chuckle, “yes”. |
| In the 18 months since a joke by comedian Hannibal Buress brought his past allegations of sexual assault into the public eye, dozens of women have come forward to say that they had been assaulted by the former comedian. In most of those cases, they said that he had drugged them. In almost all of them, the statute of limitations had expired. | In the 18 months since a joke by comedian Hannibal Buress brought his past allegations of sexual assault into the public eye, dozens of women have come forward to say that they had been assaulted by the former comedian. In most of those cases, they said that he had drugged them. In almost all of them, the statute of limitations had expired. |
| The Pennsylvania charges, relating to a 2004 allegation that he sexually assaulted Andrea Constand, who was then an employee of Temple University in Philadelphia, were the exception – the statute of limitations was set to expire in January 2016. The then district attorney Bruce Castor declined to charge him with a crime in 2005, and she settled a civil suit against the entertainer in 2006 for an undisclosed sum. | |
| But in November 2015, Castor was defeated by Kevin Steele, whose campaign heavily criticised the former DA for failing to charge Cosby at the time. | But in November 2015, Castor was defeated by Kevin Steele, whose campaign heavily criticised the former DA for failing to charge Cosby at the time. |
| The few times he spoke at the hearing, Cosby seemed upbeat. Wished good luck by Judge McHugh, he responded with a near-ebullient “Thank you!” He also cheerily thanked the police escorting him outside. | The few times he spoke at the hearing, Cosby seemed upbeat. Wished good luck by Judge McHugh, he responded with a near-ebullient “Thank you!” He also cheerily thanked the police escorting him outside. |
| But his face sagged, and his eyes were cold and grey. He had to be supported on one arm by one of his attorneys as he walked out of the court to be taken to the Cheltenham police station for processing, where he had to give his fingerprints and pose for a police mugshot. | But his face sagged, and his eyes were cold and grey. He had to be supported on one arm by one of his attorneys as he walked out of the court to be taken to the Cheltenham police station for processing, where he had to give his fingerprints and pose for a police mugshot. |
| He will be back in court on 14 January. | He will be back in court on 14 January. |