Bill Cosby trial latest: 'You remember, don't you, Mr Cosby?' Star's accuser weeps as she confronts him in court

Chelan said the star had given her a blue pill which left her unable to say no to his sexual advances
Getty Images
Chloe Chaplain12 April 2018

A woman stifled tears as she confronted Bill Cosby in court as she accused him of sexual assault and asked: "You remember, don't you, Mr Cosby?"

The star was described as a “serial rapist” in emotionally charged testimony by three women who described how he allegedly drugged and assaulted them.

Prosecutors are building a case that he was one of Hollywood's biggest predators long before he met Andrea Constand, the chief accuser in his sexual assault retrial.

The alleged victims described meeting Cosby as starstruck young women seeking career help or, in the case of a casino bartender from Reno, Nevada, simply looking for a fun time.

Trial: Bill Cosby pictured leaing court aim a sexual assault re-trial
AP

All of them testified they ended up unconscious from the pills or alcohol he gave them, unable to say no or repel his sexual advances.

"I was raped," declared former bartender Janice Baker-Kinney, who was 24 when she says Cosby gave her pills and had sex with her in 1982.

Cosby's lawyers say Ms Baker-Kinney, who now works as a stage manager on pro sports broadcasts in the San Francisco area, took the drug willingly.

Accused: Cosby is escorted out of court
AP

Another accuser, sobbed uncontrollably as she told jurors she got to know Cosby through a family connection as a 17-year-old aspiring model and actress.

Chelan Lasha said Cosby gave her a little blue pill he described as an antihistamine to help her get over a cold, along with two shots of amaretto "to help break up the cough".

The combination immobilised her and rendered her unable to speak, and Cosby then assaulted her, she said.

Trial: Chelan Lasha weeps as she spoke in court about being allegedly drugged and molested by the start
Getty Images

Turning to Cosby, she made the remark that suggested he remembered the encounter.

Cosby, who portrayed kindly Dr Cliff Huxtable on his hit TV comedy "The Cosby Show", turned away and smiled slightly.

Star: the actors who portrayed Bill Cosby's fictional television family, the Huxtables, on the situation comedy "The Cosby Show" pose together in 2002
AP

Ms Lasha, Ms Baker-Kinney and a third woman who also testified, Heidi Thomas, are among five additional accusers whom prosecutors plan to call to make the case that Cosby was a Hollywood predator who is only now facing a reckoning after allegedly assaulting Ms Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

The defence claim Ms Constand is a "con artist" who preyed on Cosby's vulnerability after the 1997 killing of his son, Ennis, and then framed him to score a big payday via a 3.4 million dollar (£2.4 million) civil settlement.

They have urged jurors to ignore the other accusers, calling their allegations irrelevant to the charges involving Ms Constand, who turned 45 on Wednesday.

Outside court, Cosby spokeswoman Ebonee Benson called the testimony from prior accusers a "prosecution by distraction".

Attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing the accusers, addressing the media during a break in Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial
AP

"When you don't have a case, you'll fill the case with something else," she said. "Once the jury hears the evidence of the case we are here for, they will render a verdict of not guilty."

Ms Constand, a former Temple University women's basketball administrator, alleges Cosby gave her pills and then molested her. He says the encounter was consensual.

His first trial last year ended in a hung jury.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in