from www.contactmusic.com – Oscar-winning songwriter JOSEPH BROOKS is pleading with a New York judge to try 11 cases of sexual assault separately – because he’s convinced a jury is guaranteed to find him guilty if the accusations are all heard at the same time.

Brooks, 71, was arrested in June (09), accused of taking advantage of wannabe actresses who answered his online adverts for screen roles.

On Tuesday, the You Light Up My Life composer, who insists he is innocent, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom in a bid to have the numerous allegations broken down into separate trials.

His lawyer Jeffrey Hoffman told the judge, “If you put 11 people saying he did something wrong in front of a jury, they’re going to say, ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’.”

A ruling has yet to be made on the motion, reports the New York Post.

Meanwhile, Brooks’ legal problems continue to mount – before the start of Tuesday’s court session, he was served with civil lawsuits by two alleged victims from Washington state.