Publicist denies earlier claims

Bill Cosby’s publicist has denied reports he is to go on tour speaking about how to avoid sexual assault allegations… which she helped start.

Yesterday,  his publicist Ebonee Benson accused the media of ‘sensationalism’ over the comedian’s trial – and of his plans to hold so-called ‘town hall meetings’ across America.

‘The town hall meetings are not about sexual assault,’ she told CNN. ‘I will repeat. These town hall meetings are not about sexual assault.’

Yet last week she spoke about how young people need to be educated on how ‘anything, at this point, can be considered sexual assault, and it’s a very good thing to be educated about the law’.

Those comments came when she appeared when she appeared on a TV news show alongside fellow spokesperson Andrew Wyatt, who said: ‘We'll talk to young people. Because this is bigger than Bill Cosby. You know, this, this issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today.’

 ‘They need to know what they’re facing when they’re hanging out and partying, when they’re doing certain things they shouldn’t be doing.’

The suggestion that Cosby was seeking to educate people about anti-sexual violence drew a terse reaction from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Spokeswoman Jodi Omear said: ‘It would be more useful if Mr Cosby would spend time talking with people about how not to commit sexual assault in the first place’.

Cosby narrowly escaped a prison sentence this month when his sexual assault case ended in a hung jury, and the judge called a mistrial. Prosecutors are planning a retrial.

Published: 26 Jun 2017