Actress Barbara Bowman claims that she was sexually assaulted for many years by television star Bill Cosby. Barbara claimed in a recent interview with the Mail Online that it had happened from the age of 17. It comes after comedian Hannibal Buress referred to previous allegations surrounding the actor. "I was drugged and raped by that man. He is a monster. He came at me like a monster," she said. "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." Barbara (47) decided to break her silence this week as she believes it will help others to come forward. "I’m finally revealing all of my full story in hope 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 Buress. No more code of silence. "I’ve been silent too long. It’s time to raise a fuss. I’m a real person that this has happened to. And it’s taken decades to get over what he did to me. I thank Hannibal Buress 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," she continued before adding that she is worried that Cosby will be reinstated on television in the coming months. "Bill used to tell me that he was my father figure and that I needed to trust him like a father, 100 per cent. Then he’d drug me and attack me. "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 power 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 again.” She added: "I know for sure he forced himself multiple times upon me and since he needed to create an environment in which I could not fight him, I can’t in all honesty say that I recall penetration because at that time I was in a vacant state of mind, as I was often drugged and brainwashed." Bowman was previously called to court as a witness back in 2006 for a case where Andrea Constand had alleged that Cosby had assaulted her. This case was settled. The Cosby Show star has denied previous allegations against him.