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U.S. NEWS Thursday 8 June 2017

Cosby’s accuser stands by her story under cross-examination

By MARYCLAIRE DALE two days, during which she
MICHAEL R. SISAK told the jury that the come-
Associated Press dian gave her three blue
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — pills and then penetrated
The woman who accuses her with his fingers as she
Bill Cosby of drugging and lay paralyzed on a couch,
violating her more than a unable to tell him to stop.
decade ago stood by her Constand’s mother fol-
story at his sex-crimes trial lowed her on the stand
Wednesday, withstand- and bolstered her daugh-
ing hours of often ponder- ter’s account. Gianna
ous cross-examination that Constand told the jury that
didn’t produce the stum- she was distraught to learn
bles the TV star might have what Cosby had done to
hoped for. her daughter.
Calm and composed, An- “They were good friends.
drea Constand brushed She viewed him like a fa-
off suggestions she and ther. He is 10 years older
Cosby had a romantic re- than even her own father,”
lationship before the 2004 the mother testified, break-
encounter at his suburban ing down on the stand.
Philadelphia home. Gianna Constand said
And she explained away she confronted Cosby by Bill Cosby arrives for his sexual assault trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown,
the numerous phone calls phone during a two-hour Pa., Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
she made to him afterward call in which she said he (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
by saying she was merely “surrendered” to her about Cosby offered to pay for Dad could get 10 years in returning calls Cosby made
returning Cosby’s messag- the sexual encounter and Constand’s education. prison if convicted. to her university-issued cell-
es about the women’s bas- told her he “was sick.” “She could go to school,” Cosby’s lawyers have ar- phone about the basket-
ketball squad at Temple After that conversation, she he said. “If she wanted gued that the sexual en- ball team.
University, where he was a said, she bought a record- to do that, then I would counter with Constand was “She continued to do her
powerful member of the ing device in hopes that be willing to ... pay for the consensual and have cited job,” Constand’s lawyer,
board of trustees and she Cosby would again confess schooling.” phone records showing she Dolores Troiani, said outside
was director of team op- to harming her daughter. Cosby is charged with ag- called the TV star 53 times court. “This man was a trust-
erations. But she said he kept their gravated indecent assault. afterward, including one ee at Temple. Of course
Constand, 44, left the wit- next conversation short. The 79-year-old comedian call that lasted 20 minutes. she was calling him back.”
ness stand after some sev- Prosecutors played a re- once dubbed America’s But Constand said she was q
en hours of testimony over cording of the call, in which

Man accused in Portland stabbings targets victim in outburst

By STEVEN DUBOIS room but said nothing to liberal city and deepened tion, prompting Fletcher to in downtown Portland. He
Associated Press reporters and displayed no worries about a series of stand up. due in court again July 18.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — reaction as he left with his apparent hate crimes in Christian shoved Fletcher in Court officials made
The man accused of killing father. the region and conten- the chest and then pulled Wednesday’s hearing ear-
two men and wounding a The 21-year-old was tious public rallies that have out a knife that he con- lier and banned livestream-
third who tried to stop his stabbed in the neck dur- drawn national attention. cealed in his right hand, ing in an effort to avoid
anti-Muslim tirade against ing the May 26 attack that Prosecutors who have re- prosecutor Ryan Lufkin the chaos that erupted at
two teenagers on a Port- killed Ricky Best and Taliesin viewed videos and inter- wrote. Fletcher pushed Christian’s first court ap-
land, Oregon, light-rail train Namkai-Meche. views with witnesses say Christian back, causing him pearance.
shouted he was “not guilty” Christian was arraigned in court papers that Chris- to stumble. Last week, Christian shout-
Wednesday during a court- in a 15-count indictment tian yelled hateful com- Christian asked Fletcher to ed, “You call it terrorism;
room outburst directed at charging him with aggra- ments at two black girls, “Hit me again!” as Fletcher I call it patriotism!” and
one of the victims. vated murder, attempted one of whom was wearing kept telling him to get off spectators watching a
“Not guilty,” Jeremy Chris- murder and other crimes. an Islamic head covering the train. video feed in the hallway
tian said before a pause, The judge did not ask him called a hijab. Christian then stabbed because they could not
“of anything but defend- for a plea during the two- When the girls moved Fletcher, Namkai-Meche get a seat nearly brawled
ing myself against the vio- minute hearing, but court away from Christian, he and a third man who inter- with one of the suspect’s
lent aggression by Micah records show the entry of made a sudden move to- vened, Best. supporters before turning
Fletcher!” “not guilty” pleas. ward Namkai-Meche. The The defendant is being their anger against sheriff’s
Fletcher was in the court- The stabbings shocked the two got into a confronta- held without bail at a jail deputies.q