Andrea Constand, one of the 60 women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault, took the witness stand on Tuesday in the landmark sexual assault case against the disgraced former television icon.
The 44-year-old massage therapist from Toronto told an emotional and detailed account of her friendship with Cosby, which began while she was running operations for the women’s basketball team at Philadelphia’s Temple University in 2002.
The LA Times reported that she testified that the friendship continued through half a dozen dinners and social engagements. But during her testimony, Constand added there were details over that time that raised red flags.
Continuing her account, she went in-depth about the night in January 2004, when she says that Cosby gave her three blue pills after dinner at his home and assaulted her.
Cosby is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Constand and could face a decade in jail if found guilty.
Constand’s very presence in the Pennsylvania courtroom was a surprise to many following the 18-month array of legal proceedings against Cosby. The announcement that she was being called to the stand caused an audible gasp in the gallery, The LA Times reported.
The prosecution sought to squash one line of attack by the defense: Why Constand had maintained contact with Cosby after the alleged assault. She said “he continued to call about Temple business and she feared losing her job.”
The defense tried to suggest there had been romantic contact between the two before the night of the alleged incident.
The trial is expected to last at least two weeks.
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