NORRISTOWN, Pa. – Jurors heard Friday how Bill Cosby told cops he thought of himself as “a dirty old man” during his sexual encounter with accuser Andrea Constand.
Cosby told investigators during an interview in 2005 that he apologized to Constand’s mother for giving his daughter pills and then sexually touching her – because he was worried how he’d appear.
“I’m apologizing because I’m thinking this is a dirty old man and a young girl,” Cosby said, according to testimony Friday about a phone call he’d had with Constand’s mom, Gianna.
The comic told cops he gave Andrea one and a half tablets of Benadryl to help her “relax.”
He also admitted he offered to pay for Andrea’s graduate degree, fearing that she or Gianna would later extort him.
“Do you think either Andrea or her mother was going to use this information to embarrass or extort you?” an investigator asked at the time.
“Yes,” Cosby replied.
The TV pioneer, who won over America’s heart with his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, also responded “yes” when he was asked, “Is it because of these concerns that you offered to pay for her education?”
Cosby told police that he apologized to Constand and her mother during a phone call because “I’m thinking, ‘This is a dirty old man and a young girl.’”
The comic and others in the courtroom erupted into laughter Friday – the fifth day of his closely watched sexual assault trial – as a Pennsylvania detective struggled to pronounce the name of a medication that’d been tested in the case.
“Dr. Huxtable?” Detective James Reape meekly said to chuckles after stumbling over the word, which was diphenhydramine.