Over a decade ago, Bill Cosby told police he had "fondled" Andrea Constand after he had given her what he claimed were cold-and-allergy pills "to help her relax," the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Cosby, who is currently in trial for three counts of aggravated indecent assault, also said Constand showed no signs of being affected by the Benadryl pills, and "never objected to his behavior." Cosby also claimed that they had been "romantic before," according to the AP.
The 79-year-old entertainer and comedian could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
[salon_video id="14777592"]
The cited interview with police took place in January 2005 at Cosby's lawyer's offices in New York, according to the AP. When asked if he had ever had sex with Constand, Cosby replied: "Never asleep or awake."
"I never intended to have sexual intercourse, like naked bodies, with Andrea. We are fully clothed. We are petting. I enjoyed it. And then I stopped, and I went up to bed,” he said, according to the AP. The four-week investigation was closed, and Cosby was not charged with a crime.
The AP reported:
A sergeant testified Thursday that then-District Attorney Bruce Castor closed the probe hours after police met to review their next steps.
“We had been discussing investigative leads and where they were going,” Sgt. Richard Schaffer of the Cheltenham Police Department told the jury on Day 4 of the comedian’s trial.
Castor announced in 2005 that Cosby would not be charged because the evidence had shown both parties “could be held in less than a flattering light.” He said he was concerned that Constand had stayed in touch with Cosby and waited a year to call police.
A new set of prosecutors brought charges against Cosby a decade later, after a judge unsealed the comic’s testimony from a lawsuit brought against him by Constand. In his deposition, he talked about giving pills and alcohol to women he wanted to have sex with.
Constand directed the women's basketball team at Temple University, Cosby's alma mater, where he was a powerful trustee. She has disputed his claims, and her lawyers testified that "Cosby penetrated her with his fingers against her will after giving her pills that left her so limp that she was unable to push him away or tell him to stop." Constand also denied that the two had a prior romantic history.
Cosby's lawyers have argued that Constand maintained a relationship with the former comedian and made phone calls to him on Valentines Day, several weeks after the alleged assault, according to the AP. However in Constand's previous testimony she said she was merely returning messages from Cosby and felt obligated to respond because of his connection to the university.
Shares