Media to see arrest warrant
2003-08-22 12:22
Colorado - A judge agreed on Thursday to unseal the arrest warrant in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case but rejected a media request to see other court records that could detail what happened in his hotel suite.
Judge Frederick Gannett put his own order on hold, giving attorneys 15 days to appeal. No documents were released to the public.
The documents have been sealed since the Los Angeles Lakers star was arrested last month, but media organisations have sought their release.
The judge ruled the arrest warrant and related materials should be unsealed. He said other items requested by media attorneys - including the search warrant and documents that could provide details of the case - will remain sealed for now.
"The court concludes that there is a substantial probability that the defendant's right to a fair trial would be prejudiced by disclosure of the affidavit and search warrant materials and that such prejudice could be prevented by non-disclosure," Gannett wrote.
The judge also said he is not inclined to grant any defence request to move the trial, saying the extensive publicity "diminishes the remedy of a change of venue".
"The court does not find it reasonable to compel defendant to submit to a change of venue in order to preserve his right to an impartial jury," he said.
Bryant, who remains free on a $25 000 bond, is scheduled to return to Eagle for an October 9 preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for a trial.
Bryant has said his 19-year-old accuser had consensual sex with him on June 30 at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, where she worked and he was a guest. He was in Colorado for knee surgery.
The only document in the case released so far has been Bryant's booking photograph, taken after he surrendered July 4.
Gannett has also threatened to bar news organisation that identifies Bryant's accuser from his courtroom. He did allow cameras in the courtroom for Bryant's initial court appearance August 6, over the objections of defence attorneys.
Reporters have been ordered not to interview people inside the courthouse and or take photographs and video of witnesses, potential jurors and Bryant's accuser and her family.
Meanwhile, a 22-year-old Iowa man was arrested on Thursday and charged with threatening to kill Bryant's accuser. John William Roche of Iowa City left a profanity-laced message on the answering machine of the woman on July 27, according to an indictment.
Roche is charged with making a threatening telephone call across state lines. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250 000 fine.
- AP