Cosby case to go to trial by June 2017

Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial has been tentatively scheduled for June, 2017.

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby Source: AAP

A Pennsylvania judge says he wants Bill Cosby's felony sexual assault case to go to trial no later than June 5, 2017.

Lead defence lawyer Brian McMonagle of Philadelphia says he has other trials scheduled through the spring.

Prosecutors say they hope to have 13 Cosby accusers testify at the trial. The accusers say they were intoxicated by drugs or alcohol that Cosby gave them before they were sexually assaulted.

Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004 at his Philadelphia-area home.

Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill did not rule on Tuesday on whether the other accusers could testify or whether prosecutors could use Cosby's deposition or a phone call recorded by Constand's mother in 2005.

Cosby's lawyers say they'll likely ask for his trial to be moved from the suburban Philadelphia county where his sexual assault case became a central issue in last year's election.

Lawyer Brian McMonagle said he's worried Cosby won't get a fair trial in Montgomery County. He says District Attorney Kevin Steele's campaign painted the 79-year-old entertainer as a sexual predator.

McMonagle says he expects to file motions asking either for a change of venue or for a jury that's picked from another county.

Prosecutors charged Cosby last December with drugging and assaulting a woman at his Montgomery County home in 2004.

The judge notes that Cosby's case has made worldwide headlines, making it hard to find prospective jurors who haven't heard details of the accusations.

The judge also says Cosby is blind and might need special accommodations at his upcoming trial.


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