Bill Cosby arrives in court on assault claim by Andrea Constand

A JUDGE has ruled that comedian Bill Cosby should stand trial on sexual assault charges over allegations he drugged and assaulted a woman in 2004.

Bill Cosby arrives at the Montgomery County Courthouse where he was ordered to stand trial. Picture: AP

A JUDGE has ruled that comedian Bill Cosby should stand trial for an alleged sexual assault that happened in 2004.

Cosby, 78, headed to the courtroom on Tuesday where prosecutors alleged he attacked Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at his Temple University alma mater, as she lay on a sofa “paralysed” by drugs the entertainer had given her.

Before being hit by a wave of sex assault allegations, Cosby had been one of the most beloved US entertainers. Ms Constand’s allegations are the only ones that have brought about criminal proceedings because many of the claims are too old.

DEPOSITIONS: Cosby admits to drug-filled romps with teens

Bill Cosby waves as he arrives at the Montgomery County Courthousein Pennsylvania. Picture: AP

A heavy police presence was aimed at keeping order outside the courthouse in Norristown.

Reading from a transcript of Andrea Constand’s interview with police in January 2005, the witness said Cosby offered her some pills saying they would help her relax and “take the edge off.”

Constand swallowed the pills, added a sip of wine and told the comedian that she trusted him. Less than an hour later, according to Constand, Cosby sexually assaulted her as she lay “paralysed.”

Bill Cosby and the woman he is said to have assaulted, Andrea Constand in a 1987 photo. Picture: AP

Cosby’s lawyer Brian McMonagle said the actor was “not guilty of any crime”. If convicted, Cosby could face up to 10 years in prison.

“The evidence presented today was evidence of nothing. They had 12 years to bring an accuser to confront Mr. Cosby. They chose not to,” he said.

“There was no evidence of a crime here. And the inconsistencies that plagued this investigation from the beginning continue to plague it now. This case should end immediately.”

NEW: Bill Cosby's attorney releases statement in response to judge's decision to send case to trial pic.twitter.com/XQ0xZ06pM7

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 24, 2016

News of the trial has become a top trending item on Twitter, with thousands of people reacting to the update.

The Cosby Show was a great show. Bill Cosby isn't Cliff Huxtable. Anthony Hopkins isn't really Hannibal Lecter.

— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) May 24, 2016

My favorite Bill Cosby joke is his life.

— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) May 24, 2016

Good to see Bill Cosby will be tried on sexual assault charges, and it only took 58 women coming forward with their stories. 58.

— Charles Clymer (@cmclymer) May 24, 2016

Cosby has denied ever assaulting anyone and has portrayed his encounter with Constand as consensual.

The vast majority of the sexual assault accusations by about 50 women dating back to the 1960s.

Bill Cosby, left, and his wife Camille. Picture: AP

Pennsylvania prosecutors levelled their charges in December, days before the statute of limitations was to expire.

Several cases are the subject of civil lawsuits, in which victims say Cosby libelled them when he accused them of lying about the incidents.

The criminal hearing follows new revelations about Cosby from his 2005 and 2006 sworn depositions, which included his admission that he gave drugs to a 19-year-old woman before having sex

Bill Cosby has gone from beloved to reviled in the US. Picture: AP

Bill Cosby and the cast of The Cosby Show. Picture: Supplied

Cosby also said that while filming one of his television sitcoms, he had an agency send him “five or six” models on a weekly basis, some ages 17 and 18, who were struggling to launch acting careers.

The depositions include his description of a 1976 encounter with a 19-year-old model named Therese Picking, now known as Therese Serignese.

He said their rendezvous occurred at a Las Vegas hotel in 1976, and he gave her Quaaludes before having sex, the AP reported, citing a transcript of the deposition.

Gloria Allred is representing many of the women who have said Bill Cosby sexually assaulted them. Picture: Getty

Bill Cosby arrives at Montgomery County Courthouse. Picture: Getty

In another case, he started a sexual relationship with a model who may have been as young as 17, according to the transcript. Hush money was sent to Serignese to keep Cosby’s wife in the dark, according to the AP.

The accusations have destroyed Cosby’s reputation, which he built during years of family-friendly comedy.

Last month, an appeals court rejected a bid from Cosby’s lawyers to have the criminal case dismissed because of what they described as a non-prosecution agreement he struck with a former Montgomery County district attorney a decade ago.

Comedian Bill Cosby prepares to go through security at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Picture: AFP

The former prosecutor, Bruce Castor, has said he agreed not to press charges in exchange for Cosby’s testimony in a civil lawsuit filed by Constand.

But current prosecutors questioned Castor’s testimony, saying there was no written evidence of such a deal.

They also said Castor did not have the legal authority to prohibit his successors from bringing charges in the future.