Bill Cosby is to face a full criminal trial on charges of sexual assault after a judge's decision in Philadelphia.
He's facing allegations that date back to 2004, and the actor and comedian could face ten years in jail if he's convicted.
Our US correspondent Simon Marks reports.
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Bill Cosby did everything possible to avoid his day in court….but after the judge in the case refused to throw out the charges he's facing, a pre-trial hearing got underway: essentially a trial to determine whether there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.
After only a couple of hours of legal argument, the judge in the case said….yes there is.
District Attorney Kevin Steele.
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Cosby arrived and left the court house moving slowly…but walking without the cane he had used to support himself the last time he made a legal appearance.
The full trial could start as early as July…and the courtroom heard a preview of the evidence.
His accuser, Andrea Constand, in testimony that was read out in court accuses the comedian of assaulting her after giving her pills that left her dizzy, blurry-eyed with legs like jelly.
Defence lawyer Glora Allred.
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The Cosby legal team say the encounter was consensual - but if the jury doesn't believe it, the 78 year-old comedian could be facing as much as a decade in jail.
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