Bill Cosby sex allegations: 3 new women claim sexual assault and rape

Three more women have come forward and accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault, claiming the TV actor sexually abused them in the early 1970s and late 1980s. The three women made the allegations during a news conference on 12 August hosted by celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, Reuters reported.

Colleen Hughes and Linda Ridgeway Whitedeer claimed the 78-year-old comedian sexually assaulted them in the early 1970s.

Hughes, who was an American Airlines flight attendant at the time of the alleged assault, said she met Cosby on a flight heading towards Los Angeles in the early 1970s. He reportedly followed her to her hotel, where she said she lost consciousness for hours after drinking champagne with him.

According to PEOPLE, Hughes said when she woke up, she found her clothes all around the hotel room and she "felt semen on the small of my back and all over me." She added: "It was disgusting. Bill obviously did not use a condom and there was no lunch and Bill was nowhere to be seen. I was confused and ashamed and never told anyone about what happened to me."

Whitedeer alleged that Cosby forced her to have sex in 1971 after meeting him for an interview on a movie set.

"As undignified as this is, it is my turn to take the empty chair that I saw on the cover of the New York Magazine, because I was assaulted sitting in a chair on a job interview and I was not drugged," she told reporters. Whitedeer said she was an aspiring actress at the time who had been married to a TV agent, who also happened to work for Cosby.

In July, New York Magazine interviewed and profiled 35 of Cosby's accusers. In a powerful cover story image, the magazine featured an empty chair next to the 35 women signifying the women who chose not to be interviewed or had not come forward yet.

A third woman, Eden Tirl accused Cosby of sexually harassing her in 1989 in his dressing room. The former model said she was a guest-star as a police officer on The Cosby Show when the incident occurred.

According to Reuters, more than 40 women over the past year have accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them. Cosby has repeatedly denied the allegations. More than 21 of Cosby's accusers are being represented by Allred.

"There is no statute of limitations on free speech," Allred said during the conference. "A person who alleges that she or he is a victim can speak out at any time."

Although the Los Angles police are conducting a criminal investigation into one of the complaints brought against Cosby, he is not facing any criminal charges.