Bill Cosby Accused by Actress in Interview of Long-Ago Rapes

Bill Cosby is being accused by an actress of repeatedly drugging and raping her years ago, according to London's Daily Mail, an allegation that follows a comedian's recent suggestions about past sexual assaults by the creator of "The Cosby Show."

Barbara Bowman told the Daily Mail that after comedian Hannibal Burress called out Cosby as a "serial rapist" she decided to speak out about her experiences with Cosby, who she charges with taking advantage of her when she was trying to break into the entertainment industry in the 1980s.

Earlier this month in a brutal comedy routine in Cosby's hometown of Philadelphia, Burress attacked Cosby for accusations that he sexually assaulted multiple women during his career, according to Philadelphia magazine.

Cosby has never faced related criminal charges, or been successfully sued in civil cases, but the actor-comedian did settle a case with Andrea Constand, a former director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team in 2006, according to Vulture.com. Bowman reportedly was one of more than a dozen women set to testify in a lawsuit by Constand.

"I was drugged and raped by that man," Bowman was quoted by the Daily Mail. "He is a monster. He came at me like a monster. My hope is that others who have experienced sexual abuse will not be intimidated into silence by the famous, rich and powerful. If I can help one victim, then I've done my job."

Bowman told the Daily Mail that her agent had arranged a private audition with Cosby in 1985 and the comedian agreed to mentor her, but she claimed it turned into incidents where he would drug and sexually assault her at a time when she totally depended on him.

"I've been silent too long," Bowman was quoted by the Daily Mail. "It's time to raise a fuss. I'm a real person that this happened to. And it's taken decades to get over what he did to me. I thank Hannibal Burress for speaking out over and over again, despite the threats from the industry that it could ruin his career. He is standing up for me and the other women who are too afraid to speak out."

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