Bill Cosby faces a new trial for sexual assault of a minor
Los Angeles, USA, Jun 1 (EFE).- A Los Angeles court began a new trial Wednesday against comedian Bill Cosby, accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old, Judy Huth, at the Playboy Mansion in 1974.
This is one of the latest cases of alleged sexual crimes against 84-year old Cosby, who was sentenced to prison in 2018 but released last year after a Pennsylvania court revoked his sentence by a prior civil agreement in which he compensated the victim.
On the first day of the trial in California, Huth’s lawyer Nathan Goldberg said Cosby took advantage of places that were safe for the young woman, such as a public park and a game room, to gain her confidence.
According to the indictment, the comedian met the young woman and her friend during the filming of “Let’s Do It Again” and subsequently invited them to a playroom at the Playboy Mansion.
When Huth, now 64, was alone and returned from the bathroom, she found Cosby lying on the bed, at which point he asked her to come over and grabbed her.
During the hearing, the friend who went to the Mansion with Huth, Donna Samuelson, appeared as a witness and said that after meeting Huth again, her friend wanted to leave immediately.
Samuelson said Huth told her that Cosby had tried to have sex with her.
Cosby is not expected to appear at the trial, which comes as a result of a lawsuit filed in 2014.
Last summer, he welcomed the Fifth Amendment to the American Constitution which gives any individual the right not to testify if his words can be used to self-incriminate.
In 2018, the comedian was sentenced to prison after a Pennsylvania judge found him guilty of sexual abuse of Canadian Andrea Constand, making it the first conviction of a celebrity in the “Metoo” era.
However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned that conviction in June owing to a previous civil agreement that invalidated the trial and through which Cosby compensated the victim.
Following his release from prison, the comedian has expressed his intention to act in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and also lead a campaign for reforms in the justice and penitentiary systems, based on his own experiences.
Besides the trial in California, Cosby has another case pending in New Jersey, where another actress accuses him of sexual abuse. EFE
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