Bill Cosby Will Stand Trial in Sexual Assault Case

Bill Cosby will stand trial in sexual assault case, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Bill Cosby faced a preliminary hearing with a judge today in Philadelphia to determine if he would be sent to trial for sexual assault charges. It was decided by the judge on Tuesday afteroon that the case against Cosby will go to trial. CNN reports that Judge Elizabeth McHugh made the decision to send the case to trial after hearing statements from Andrea Constand, one of Cosby's accusers, read by police.

Since 2015 alone, the 78-year-old actor and comedian has been accused of rape and sexual assault by dozens of women who say Cosby drugged them before the assaults. In excerpts from a deposition released by the Associated Press today, Cosby admitted to giving Constand quaaludes, then having sex with her after she became what he described as "high."

Cosby will now stand trial for three counts of felony indecent assault, CNN reports. The lead complainant in the case is Constand, who spoke out against Cosby in 2004. Constand worked for Temple University, where Cosby attended college, and was one of the first of over 50 women to publicly accuse Cosby of sexual assault. 

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Constand did not appear in court on Tuesday, which CNN reports is permissible due to recent precedent in Pennsylvania that does not require the accuser to appear for pretrial. Instead, the prosecution opted to have police read statements that were made by Constand in 2005 for the judge's consideration. Cosby's defense team said that this evidence was hearsay, and that it was "wrong" to allow it for this case.

Cosby faces a sentence of 10 years in prison if found guilty in the trial. 

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