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The jury in Bill Cosby's trial has begun deliberating over whether he drugged and molested a woman more than a decade ago in a case that has already helped demolish the 79-year-old comedian's good-guy image.
Key points:
- Alleged assault took place in 2004
- Defence argued encounter was consensual, alleged victim says she was paralysed by "blue pills" given to her by Cosby
- Comedian faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each carrying a sentence up to 10 years
A conviction could send Cosby to prison for the rest of his life, completing the stunning, late-life downfall of one of the most beloved stars in show business.
The fast-moving case went to the jury of seven men and five women on day six of the trial after closing arguments gave differing portrayals of what happened between Cosby and Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia estate.
Cosby's lawyer, Brian McMonagle, told the jury Cosby and Constand were lovers who had enjoyed secret "romantic interludes" and that the 2004 encounter was consensual.
Mr McMonagle said while the comedian had been unfaithful to his wife, he did not commit a crime.
Prosecutors countered by saying "fancy lawyering" cannot save Cosby from his own words — namely, his admission about groping Constand after giving her pills he knew could put her to sleep.
"Drugging somebody and putting them in a position where you can do what you want with them is not romantic. It's criminal," District Attorney Kevin Steele said.
After the prosecution took five days to outline its side, the defence case consisted of just one witness — a detective — and six minutes of testimony on Monday.
Cosby did not take the stand, ending days of suspense over whether the jury would hear directly from him.
Legal experts said testifying would have been a risky move that could have opened the TV star to withering cross-examination about some of the 60 or so other women who have accused him of drugging or molesting them.
He is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each one punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.
The comedian — once known as America's Dad for his portrayal of kindly Dr Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show — suggested recently race could have played a role in the case against him.
The jury included two black members.
Defence throws doubt on accuser's story
In his closing argument, Mr McMonagle tried to sow doubt about Constand's story, saying it had evolved during her interviews with police.
He also pointed out Constand telephoned Cosby dozens of times after the alleged assault.
Constand told the jury she was merely returning his calls about the women's basketball squad at Temple University, where she was director of team operations and he was a member of the board of trustees.
"This isn't talking to a trustee. This is talking to a lover," Mr McMonagle said of one call that lasted 49 minutes.
"Why are we running from the truth of this case — this relationship? Why?"
Cosby's wife of 53 years, Camille, was in the courtroom for the first time in the trial.
Cosby allegedly gave Constand blue pills
Constand, 44, testified last week that Cosby gave her three blue pills and then molested her as she lay paralysed and half-conscious.
She denied they had a romantic relationship and said she had rebuffed previous advances from him.
She sued Cosby after prosecutors in 2005 declined to press charges.
Cosby testified more than a decade ago as part of that lawsuit, eventually settling with her for an undisclosed sum.
His deposition was sealed for years until a judge released parts in 2015 at the request of The Associated Press, prompting a new set of prosecutors to take a fresh look at the case and charge him.
Mr McMonagle told the jury Cosby's freedom was at stake now, not just his finances.
"This is not a civil case about money, money, money. We're talking about all the man's tomorrows," he said.
In the prosecution's closing argument, Mr Steele said Cosby's lurid statements from 2005 helped corroborate Constand's allegations.
Mr Steele also reminded jurors about a telephone conversation in which Cosby apologised to Constand's mother and described himself as a "sick man".
"This is where all the fancy lawyering can't get you around your own words," Steele said.
In his 2005 deposition, Cosby said he obtained several prescriptions for quaaludes in the 1970s and offered the now-banned sedatives to women he wanted to have sex with.
He also said he gave Constand three half-tablets of the cold and allergy medicine Benadryl before the "petting" began. Prosecutors have suggested he drugged her with something stronger — perhaps quaaludes.
AP
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, sexual-offences, arts-and-entertainment, united-states
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