Bill Cosby Accosted by Topless Protestor

A topless protester with 'Women's Lives Matter' written on her bare chest and stomach jumped a [...]

By Libby Birk

A topless protester with "Women's Lives Matter" written on her bare chest and stomach jumped a barricade and raced near Bill Cosby Monday morning as he entered a Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his sexual assault retrial.

The unidentified woman ran in front of Cosby toward a bank of TV cameras nearby Cosby but was intercepted by deputies and led away in handcuffs.

Watch video footage of the woman charging toward Cosby in the video above, tweeted by Associated Press reporter Mike Sisak.

Along with "Women's Lives Matter," the woman had other words, including the names of Cosby's accusers, painted on her skin.

Cosby, 80, appeared surprised by the incident as various personnel surrounded him, seemingly protecting him from the woman. About a half-dozen protesters chanted at Cosby.

Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt praised the sheriff's deputies for their response but urged court officials to increase security measures.

"It's a different world. Things have changed," Wyatt told The Associated Press, referring to recent mass shootings and other episodes. "You never know who's going to want to make a name for themselves."

Monday's incident came ahead of opening statements on day one, which was delayed from Friday while a judge presiding over the case reviewed accusations that one juror told a woman during jury selection that he believed Cosby to be guilty. Cosby's lawyers asked that the juror be removed from the case.

Prosecutors plan to use the long list of Cosby accusers to make the case that Cosby asserted his power over women as one of Hollywood's biggest predators. His defense council, including a new, high-profile attorney, plans on painting accuser Andrea Constand as a greedy liar.

Cosby's first trial ended last spring with a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after five days of tense deliberations. Cosby is accused of drugging and molesting Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Cosby maintains that the sexual contact was consensual. He faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The retrial is taking place in a radically different cultural environment, with the #MeToo movement catching fire four months after the first trial. Powerful men like Harvey Weinstein, Sen. Al Franken and Matt Lauer have been disgraced by previous alleged sexual misconduct in the wake of the movement.

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