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What to expect at Bill Cosby sex assault trial

US comedian and actor Bill Cosby is to go on trial for sexual assault in Pennsylvania later in a case that is expected to last about two weeks.

Former University employee Andrea Constand alleges the 79-year-old drugged and molested her in 2004.

Mr Cosby says he is innocent and the encounter was consensual.

It is being seen as the biggest US celebrity trial since former American football player OJ Simpson's murder trial in 1995.

Several of Mr Cosby's co-stars from the 1984-1992 sitcom The Cosby Show are expected to attend the trial in Norristown outside Philadelphia, along with more than 100 journalists. Broadcasters and photographers are expected to camp outside.

What is he accused of?

Mr Cosby faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000 (£19,500).

In 2004 Ms Constand was 31 when she visited Cosby's home seeking career advice after befriending him through Temple University in Philadelphia, where he served on the board of trustees.

She said Cosby gave her three blue pills which made her legs feel "like jelly" and that he then began to touch her inappropriately.

In 2006, the comedian settled with Ms Constand after providing an undisclosed cash sum to her.

At least 50 women have accused Mr Cosby of sexual assault, but he only faces charges in Ms Constand's case because of statutes of limitations.

• Why is there a time limit on sexual assault cases in the US?

What is the evidence against him?

Prosecutors are expected to use the testimony of Ms Constand as well as that of another woman, known as Kacey, who says she was assaulted by him in the 1990s.

They are also expected to refer to Mr Cosby's own admission in 2005 that he had used drugs as part of his efforts to have sex with women. 

The drugs, called Quaaludes, are a sedative that was widely used recreationally in the US in the 1970s.

However Judge Steven O'Neill has ruled that the court will not hear about the 2006 civil case. Neither will jurors hear from Mr Cosby's many other accusers.

• Cosby victim 'paralysed' by drugs during alleged assault
• The rise and fall of Quaaludes

What is Mr Cosby's defence?

Mr Cosby says his encounter with Ms Constand was consensual.

He also says he offered women drugs as a way to encourage them to relax rather than a way to render them helpless.

On the night of the alleged sex assault, Mr Cosby says he gave Ms Constand some Benadryl, an anti-allergy medication that can cause drowsiness, because she appeared stressed.

Mr Cosby's lawyers are expected to ask Ms Constand why she returned to Mr Cosby's house after she said he had made previous unwanted sexual advances on her.

They may also question why the case is being brought now, more than 10 years after a previous district attorney decided there was not enough evidence to go to trial.

Will he testify?

No - Mr Cosby has said he will not testify and last month told Sirius-XM radio that he feared prosecution lawyers could twist his words on the stand.

"When you have to deal with examination, cross-examination, et cetera, et cetera, more than two sides to every story - sometimes it's four or five," he said.

He has also speculated that some of the allegations against him could be motivated by racism.

• From America's Dad to comic under fire

Who is on the jury?

The jury is made up of seven men and five women. They include two black people and 10 white people, the New York Times reported.

The jurors are from the Pittsburgh area, 300 miles to the west of the court in Norristown, because Mr Cosby's defence team argued that jurors there could have been affected by pre-trial publicity.

The jurors will be kept away from media reports for the duration of the trial.

Why is Bill Cosby important?

Mr Cosby is best known for his role as the father in the television hit The Cosby Show, which was a huge hit in the US and around the globe.

At one point he was the highest-paid actor in the US.

He was born in Philadelphia and started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1962, debuting on NBC's The Tonight Show in 1963.

In 1965, he became the first black actor to star in a drama series in the US, in the espionage show I Spy. He earned three consecutive best actor Emmys for his role, at a time of high race tensions in the US.

In 2013 he did a national stand-up tour and received rave reviews. After that, several women began to come forward with allegations of sexual assault, some going back nearly 30 years.

BBC NEWS