Cosby fan gets hearing after allegedly recording trial’s end

Court officials in Montgomery County have set a hearing for a woman described as a fan of Bill Cosby who allegedly recorded the defense’s closing arguments in the entertainer’s criminal trial last month.

Anitra Burrows, 37, of Collegeville, will appear before President Judge Thomas DelRicci in a 9:30 contempt of court hearing Thursday in Norristown, according to a scheduling order filed by the court.

Under Pennsylvania law, if found in contempt of court for obstructing “the administration of justice,” a defendant can be sentenced to up to 30 days in jail and fined $100.

The video, which was quickly removed from YouTube, claimed to have “MUST SEE” material from the closing arguments in the trial delivered by Cosby’s defense lawyer Brian McMonagle.

The video had more than 140 views before it was removed, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The Montgomery County district attorney’s office declined to comment; attempts to reach Burrows were unsuccessful.

A decorum order during the two-week trial prohibited journalists and members of the public in the courtroom from using their phones or transmitting any information on the Internet. Journalists were allowed to take notes on laptops, but tweeting, emailing and web searches were not permitted. Filming of any sort was banned — which is typical for Pennsylvania state court proceedings.

A mistrial was declared in Cosby’s criminal sexual assault trial on June 17 after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict following 52 hours of deliberations.

Montgomery County prosecutors have vowed to retry Cosby, who turns 80 on Wednesday, on the same charges stemming from a 2004 encounter at his Cheltenham mansion.

Judge Steven O’Neill, who presided over Cosby’s first trial, has set Nov. 6 at the next trial date.