Kobe Prosecutors Going To The Videotape

CRATERED: New York nut nabbed after mailing self to Texas

SEPTEMBER 10--Prosecutors prepping for a preliminary hearing in the Kobe Bryant rape case plan to present a videotaped interview with the alleged victim, photographs of the 19-year-old woman's injuries, and a taped statement from Bryant, much of which "will corroborate the victim's hearsay statement and provide direct evidence to many of the elements of the offense charged." This glimpse into the government's case came today in a prosecution motion to quash a subpoena--issued by Bryant's lawyers--seeking the alleged victim's testimony at the October 9 hearing. District Attorney Mark Hurlbert argued that requiring the woman to appear at the prelim would cause "anxiety and intimidation to the victim," who has moved from Eagle, Colorado and would have to travel one-half day and miss work if required to testify next month. Bryant, 25, has been charged with sexually assaulting the woman in his hotel room. The Los Angeles Laker has denied the woman's account and said that the two engaged in consensual sex. Last month, Bryant's attorneys served a subpoena for the woman's medical records, a request that a Colorado hospital is now seeking to have quashed.(3 pages)