Details 'favour' NBA star Bryant

Kobe Bryant is free on bail of $25,000

Lawyers of US basketball superstar Kobe Bryant have presented what they said was "compelling evidence" that their client was innocent of sexual assault allegations.

At a preliminary hearing in Eagle, Colorado, the lawyers said tests on the underwear of the woman who accuses Mr Bryant of rape had shown she had been with someone other than the Los Angeles Lakers' star.

They also said that injuries the woman had suffered might have been caused by previous sexual partners - preceding her encounter with Mr Bryant in June.

It was not immediately clear how that evidence would prove that Mr Bryant - who has admitted what he described as consensual sex with the 19-year-old college student - was innocent.

The details were released in a court filing on the same day that Judge Frederick Gannet rejected a prosecution request to close the remainder of the preliminary hearing to protect the woman's privacy.

Prosecutors have accused Mr Bryant's defence of trying to "smear the victim publicly" and to bypass Colorado's "shield law" intended to protect rape victims.

But the defence have successfully argued that since Mr Bryant could face life in prison in convicted, his attorneys could not shy away from any possible defence.

The hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence for the 25-year-old Mr Bryant to stand trial.

Mysterious person

After meeting with attorneys from both sides for more than an hour, Judge Gannett urged the media to show "restraint" in drawing any conclusions from testimony.

The hearing then resumed with the defence questioning of the lead investigator, Detective Doug Winters.

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During cross-examination by Mr Bryant's lawyer, Pamela Mackey, detective Winters testified that the semen and pubic hair on the underwear the woman wore when she went to hospital the day after the alleged attack did not belong to Mr Bryant.

He added that that person was not identified.

The testimony appeared to back earlier defence suggestions that the accuser had been sexually active before her encounter with Mr Bryant.

On the opening day of the hearing last Thursday, Ms Mackey said that the injuries suffered by the woman could have been the result of "sex with three different men in three days".

Ms Mackey's remark prompted Judge Frederick Gannet to immediately halt the proceedings.

High-profile case

Mr Bryant's arrest in Eagle attracted huge interest among both the US media and his fans, some of whom travelled there to show solidarity.

The BBC's David Willis says that although American sport - and basketball in particular - has seen its share of sex scandals there have been few, if any, to rival the Bryant case.

Mr Bryant, who is married and has a young daughter, has admitted to adultery but denies committing a sexual assault - a charge, observers say, which amounts to rape in Colorado and technically carries a life sentence.

One of basketball's wealthiest stars, he could also stand to lose millions of dollars worth of lucrative sponsorship deals over the allegations.