USA: NBA SUPERSTAR KOBE BRYANT TO APPEAR IN COURT IN PRE-TRIAL HEARING ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES.

Record ID: 677253

  • Title: USA: NBA SUPERSTAR KOBE BRYANT TO APPEAR IN COURT IN PRE-TRIAL HEARING ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES.
  • Date: 6th August 2003
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) KOBE BRYANT WAVING TO CROWD AT LAKERS' CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION CROWD CHANTING KOBE'S NAME KOBE BRYANT GREETING CROWD
  • Embargoed: 21st August 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA, EAGLE,COLORADO AND WASHINGTON, DC.
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General,People,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7G95J3FIQCNHF9Z27PESF2DN
  • Story Text: NBA Superstar Kobe Bryant appears in court tomorrow
    in a pre-trial hearing on sexual abuse charges.



    On the eve of basketball star Kobe Bryant's first court
    appearance on rape charges, media hype and debate among
    fans are reaching a fever pitch. The hearing will take
    place August 6 in Eagle County, Colorado where the alleged
    rape took place. Bryant is accused of raping a 19-year-old
    woman at an upscale hotel. He has admitted having
    consen
    sual sex with the woman, but denies the sexual
    assault took place. Bryant's legal troubles are
    particularly big news in his hometown of Los Angeles, where
    he is a hero on the legendary Lakers team. The potential
    rape charges haven't stopped Bryant from making public
    appearances in the city - a decision that has proved
    controversial. He and his wife attended the Teen Choice
    Awards where he was selected as Favorite Male Athlete.

    With all of the fame and fortune on the line, local sports
    radio personality Chuck Madden predicts a media circus at
    the courthouse. "It is absolutely huge," Madden says.

    "Some people are comparing... this is going to rival the
    O.J. Simpson case, and I don't have to tell you how big
    that was." The O.J. Simpson case gripped the media in the
    United States during the entire course of the former
    football star's trial in 1995. Simpson was eventually
    acquitted, but he remains a reviled figure.

    Fans of the 24-year-old Bryant, meantime, are sharply
    divided. "He's Kobe Bryant. I'm sure he has twenty women
    lined up outside of every hotel room door he's ever stayed
    in. It just doesn't seem like he's be driven to any sort
    of desperation where he's need to commit an act like rape,"
    one woman argues. "I think it's awful," another fan says.

    "A lot of kids I know looked up to him, like my 11-year old
    son. To me, it's so difficult, having to explain to my son
    what he actually did." Supporters of Bryant have launched
    online efforts to support the Lakers star, including one
    web site called freekobe.com. The web sites are forums for
    debate and speculation, as well as a source for fans to buy
    "Free Kobe" t-shirts.

    The Bryant case has also sparked debate alleged rape
    victims' rights and the definition of rape. A local Los
    Angeles talk show host named Bryant's accuser, setting off
    a storm of controversy. Rape counselors and mental health
    experts were outraged by the exposure of the young Colorado
    woman, saying that a victim of sexual assault would be
    further traumatized by public scrutiny. News organizations
    have not named the woman or shown her picture, but her
    name, address, telephone number, and picture have surfaced
    on the internet. The talk show host defended his decision
    to name the woman, arguing it is unfair to name Bryant and
    not his accuser.

    Bryant is charged with Class 3 sexual assault, the
    equivalent of rape under Colorado law. Bryant checked into
    the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Colorado on June 30.

    Prosecutors say the assault happened later that night and
    that the woman reported it the next day. Published reports
    have said that Bryant flew home to California on July 2
    after submitting to an interview by Eagle, Colorado
    sheriff's detectives and providing DNA samples. Colorado's
    deputy attorney general said that prosecutors across the
    state were offering to assist Eagle County with manpower
    and resources in the sensational case. Eagle County
    District Attorney Mark Hurlbert has met with prosecutors
    from several jurisdictions and the attorney general's
    office, who all offered assistance in the case that has

    drawn worldwide interest.
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