Cosby retrial will allow five more accusers to testify

Five additional accusers will be allowed to testify against Bill Cosby when his criminal retrial begins next month, a Pennsylvania judge ruled Thursday.

The ruling is a victory for prosecutors who are seeking to convict the former entertainer of sexual assault. A previous trial ended in a hung jury last summer, after Andrea Constand testified that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her in 2004. Only one additional accuser was allowed to testify with Constand during the first trial.

The New York Times reports that 19 additional accusers wanted to take part in the upcoming retrial. Judge Steven T. O'Neill will allow prosecutors to select any five of the eight most recent allegations, which span between 1982 and 1996.

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Prosecutors will seek to paint a picture of a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct by Cosby, who faced a flurry of allegations from dozens of women in 2015. Cosby has denied the allegations and has said his encounter with Constand was consensual, NBC News reports. The new trial is set to begin April 2.