Bill Cosby appears in court on sexual assault charge
US comedian Bill Cosby appeared in a Pennsylvania court on Wednesday to face a sexual assault charge over a 2004 incident -- the first criminal charge filed against him after dozens of women claimed abuse.
"Mr Cosby is charged with aggravated indecent assault. This is a felony," Kevin Steele, a county assistant district attorney, told reporters in Norristown, outside Philadelphia.
Cosby, 78, did not enter a plea in the courtroom in Elkins Park, also in the Philadelphia area, a court clerk told AFP. Bail was set at $1 million, which Cosby posted, and a hearing was set for January 14.
If found guilty, the veteran television star -- who has surrendered his passport to the court -- could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Cosby, wearing a black and white hooded sweater, was stone-faced as he entered and exited the court through a media scrum.
The court clerk said he had posted bail and went to a police station to be fingerprinted.
More than 50 women have already publicly claimed abuse by the pioneering African-American comedian, who attained his greatest fame for his role as the lovable family doctor and pater familias in the hit 1980s sitcom "The Cosby Show."
But his attorneys have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by Cosby, who has gone from megastar to pariah in the face of the allegations, which span four decades.
Earlier this month, he filed a defamation suit against seven of his accusers.
"Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law," his attorneys said in a statement.
The Pennsylvania criminal charge stems from allegations made by a former employee of Temple University in Philadelphia, who says the television legend assaulted her at his home in the suburb of Cheltenham in 2004.
"On the evening in question, Mr Cosby urged her to take pills that he provided to her and to drink wine -- the effect of which rendered her unable to move, (or to) respond to his advances, and he committed aggravated indecent assault upon her," Steele said.
Steele said the charge stemmed from new evidence in the case that came to light in July, prompting the reopening of the investigation.
"A prosecutor's job is to follow the evidence wherever it leads and whenever it comes to light," Steele said.
"Today, after examination of all the evidence, we are able to seek justice on behalf of the victim," he added, urging anyone with information about similar incidents with Cosby to come forward.
In a statement, prosecutors accused Cosby of fondling the woman and penetrating her with his fingers.
AFP
(File photo: AFP)