Bill Cosby used fame and drugs to have sex with women, before attempting to pay them off to hide actions from his wife

The American comedian has faced dozens of sexual assault allegations, but has never been charged

Bill Cosby has denied sexually assaulting dozens of women (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Bill Cosby used a powerful mix of fame and sedative drugs to have sex with young women whom he then attempted to pay off, a newly uncovered testimony has revealed.

The American comedian, now 78, made the deposition a decade ago as part of a lawsuit launched by former Temple University employee Andrea Constand, who accused him of giving her a powerful drug and molesting her. He was questioned for four days in 2005 and 2006 in a Philadelphia hotel, forming a 1,000 document.

Mr Cosby, who has been married since 1964, said he and Ms Constand began a relationship in the early 2000s, when he invited her to his home to discuss her family and her future plans.

The pair maintained contact for several years until the alleged assault, which Mr Cosby has denied.

The document obtained by the New York Times reveals how the entertainer had offered to pay for Ms Constand’s education in order to hide his predilections from his wife, Camille. However, Ms Contrand never sought any funds.

The comedian said he thought his wife would have known he was helping her with furthering her education but said: “My wife would not know it was because Andrea and I had had sex.”

He also confessed to paying hush money to another woman whom he had met in 1975, and using his agent to funnel funds to other women.

At one stage, he admitted to asking a model named Beth Ferrier about her father who died of cancer in order to have “sexual contact” with her.

Mr Cosby’s unapologetic and sometimes boastful attitude was also apparent in the deposition, according to the newspaper, as he graphically described sexual encounters and suggested he was able to infer a woman’s consent from non-verbal cues.

When Ms Contrand’s lawyer confronted Mr Cosby with the prospect that he is “making light of a very serious situation”, he responded: “That may very well be.”

Mr Cosby's publicist, David Brokaw, did not immediately return a message from the Press Association seeking comment.

The comedian has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, but has repeatedly denied the claims and has never been charged.

Earlier this month, the court papers on which the disposition was based were sought by the Associated Press, and showed that Mr Cosby admitted to drugging women he intended on having sex with.