Bill Cosby speaks to people outside court and thanks jury for 'honest work'

'Please to the supporters, stay calm, do not argue with people, just keep up the great support'

Bill Cosby outside the Montgomery County Courthouse (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Bill Cosby has spoken to crowds outside the courthouse in Pennsylvania where the actor and comedian is currently on trial accused of sexual assault.

Appearing outside court, Cosby said: “I just want to wish all of the fathers a happy father's day, and I want to thank the jury for their long days, and their honest work.

“I also want to thank the supporters who've been here, and please to the supporters, stay calm, do not argue with people, just keep up the great support.”

The jury is currently deliberating after announcing a deadlock.

It has been deliberating for more than 50 hours, and has been through much of the evidence from the trial over the past few days.

The New York Times reports that a major issue appears to be the question of whether the full jury can embrace the credibility of Andrea Constand - the woman who accused Cosby of drugging and molesting her.

The 79-year-old TV star's lawyer has complained that jurors have been seeking a replay of the entire trial.

Judge Steven O'Neill twice refused defence requests for a mistrial, declaring that jurors could talk as long as they wanted over the allegations - which Cosby denies.

On 15 June, the panel listened again to what Cosby had to say about his use of Quaaludes, a now-banned party drug.

Cosby testified in a 2006 deposition that he got seven prescriptions for the powerful sedative in the 1970s for the purpose of giving them to women before sex.

But he said he no longer had the sedative — a highly popular party drug in the 1970s that was banned in the U.S. in 1982 — when he met Constand in 2002 at Temple University.

Cosby's lawyer said he and Constand were lovers sharing “a consensual moment of intimacy”.

If the panel can't break the deadlock, the judge could declare a hung jury and a mistrial. In that case, prosecutors would get four months to decide whether they want to retry Cosby or drop the charges.

Cosby's lawyers maintain that he is “innocent until proven guilty”.