Last week comedian Hannibal Burruss caused controversy after making multiple rape allegations lodged against Bill Cosby over the years the punch line of a joke [click here if you missed that].
Now a woman who claims she too was sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby says Hannibal has given her the courage to speak out…
From The Daily Mail
When Barbara Bowman was a teenager she was emotionally and sexually abused by the TV star and in an exclusive interview with MailOnline she describes in chilling detail how Cosby manipulated her into believing he was a father figure and took advantage of her youth, vulnerability and yes, even ambition, to have his way with her over and over again.
'I was drugged and raped by that man,' she tells MailOnline. '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.'
'I'm finally revealing all of my full story in hopes that others will learn to read the tell-tale signs of abuse and not wait as long as I did. No one believed me for years. They said Bill would never do that. That it was preposterous. But I'm putting my name out there and standing behind these words, just like [Hannibal] Burress. No more code of silence.'
Now, 25 years after the multiple incidents of drugging, sexual assault, and even rape at the hands of the now 77-year-old Cosby, Barbara said: 'I've been silent too long. 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.
While other victims were allegedly given hush money to prevent them from going public with their accusations, and another settled after filing a court case against Cosby, Barbara is free to speak out.
'I never took shut up money. My motivation to speak now is to expose Bill Cosby as the animal that he is. He went after me in that hotel room like an animal with such sexual prowess and force that he couldn't control himself. And at 19-years-old, I knew it would be the last time he would ever get the chance to hurt me this way again.'