Defence rests after calling brief witness in Cosby trial
Defence rests after calling brief witness in Cosby trial: The defence lawyers of US comedian Bill Cosby have rested their case after presenting a single, brief witness in his sexual assault trial.
The Defence lawyers had called to the stand a detective who had led a 2005 investigation which was investigating claims that Mr Cosby had drugged and molested a woman at his home in 2004.
The star, who is now 79, earlier told a judge he would not testify to defend himself against those allegations.
Mr Cosby had denied the charges and his lawyer has said that the accuser agreed to sex.
The jury had began deliberating on Monday, 12th June 2017, evening after the prosecution had given his closing statement, however the jury had retired for the night without reaching a verdict and will continue their deliberations on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old Andrea Constand the accuser, who is at the centre of the case, says that the alleged incident happened during a visit to his home to seek career advice.
Dozens of other women have made similar claims and say that he assaulted them, but statutes of limitation rules mean he is on trial for only one allegation.
Mr Cosby had arrived at the court on Monday with his wife, Camille, Mr Cosby’s wife has joined the celebrity for the first time.
The comedian told the judge that he will not testify.
The witness Detective Richard Schaffer had appeared for just six minutes on the defence’s behalf, in which he told a jury that Ms Constand had visited Mr Cosby at an out-of-state casino.
The Defence lawyers of Mr Cosby had sought to discredit Ms Constand by suggesting that the pair were in a romantic relationship and she had changed her story several times during a previous investigation.
The lawyer of Mr Cosby in his closing argument said while his client had been unfaithful to his wife, he did not commit a crime.
The lawyers pointed out to the several calls made by the accuser to Mr Cosby.
“This isn’t talking to a trustee. This is talking to a lover” he said of one call that lasted 49 minutes.
In 2006, the comedian settled with Ms Constand after providing an undisclosed cash sum to her.
In his closing statement, prosecuting District Attorney Kevin Steele said: “Drugging somebody and putting them in a position where you can do what you want with them is not romantic. It’s criminal.”
The case is seen as the biggest US celebrity court case since the murder trial of former American football player OJ Simpson in 1995.
If convicted, Mr Cosby faces up to a decade in prison.
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