Bill Cosby trial: Judge allows five more women to testify against him

Janice Dickinson, who suspects the comedian drugged and raped her in 1982, could be called to give evidence

Bill Cosby arrives for a pretrial hearing for his sexual assault trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

Five more women will be allowed to testify at the sexual assault retrial of former entertainer Bill Cosby, potentially helping prosecutors bolster their case against Mr Cosby by depicting a pattern of misconduct.

Judge Steven O'Neill said prosecutors could choose the witnesses from a list of eight whose allegations date to 1982.

Prosecutors had wanted to have as many as 19 women give evidence about alleged assaults over a five-decade span.

Cosby is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Among the women who could enter the witness box is model Janice Dickinson, who suspects the comedian drugged and raped her while she was unconscious during a 1982 trip to Nevada's Lake Tahoe.

"We are reviewing the judge's order and will be making some determinations," district attorney Kevin Steele said.

Cosby's attorney did not comment on the ruling, but last week the star's lawyers tried to block additional accusers from giving evidence.

Arguing jurors should only hear evidence about the alleged 2004 assault, they said "ancient allegations" would confuse, distract and prejudice the jury against the 80-year-old.

After Judge O'Neill's ruling, a Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said: "It just shows how desperate they are and that this is a very weak case."

He reiterated that Cosby was "innocent of these charges."

After jurors were deadlocked in the case based on Constand's allegations, a mistrial was declared last year.

While Mr Cosby has maintained his innocence and has not been convicted of sexual misconduct, multiple accusers have filed defamation lawsuits after he denied their allegations.

As Judge O’Neill’s declared his decision, the California Supreme Court declined to review Mr Cosby’s appeal against a defamation suit brought by model Janice Dickinson, allowing the case to proceed.