DNA challenge to Bryant defence

Kobe Bryant says the sex was consensual

Prosecutors in the rape case of US basketball star Kobe Bryant have tried to discredit defence DNA evidence shortly before the trial begins.

Jury selection is scheduled to start in Eagle, Colorado, on Friday.

Prosecutors say a DNA sample suggesting the alleged victim had sex with another man after meeting Mr Bryant may have been contaminated.

Mr Bryant denies sexually assaulting the then-19-year-old woman in a Rocky Mountain hotel on 30 June 2003.

Jury selection

Elizabeth Johnson, an expert for Mr Bryant's defence, testified in June that DNA evidence suggested the alleged victim had sex with another man after meeting Mr Bryant and before her hospital examination the next day.

Her evidence is a key plank of Mr Bryant's case.

But prosecutors have raised concerns about procedures used at laboratories hired by Mr Bryant's lawyers.

Lawyers for the woman deny she had sex with another man after meeting Mr Bryant, who is free on $25,000 bail.

Mr Bryant, 26, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and is one of America's best-known sportsmen, says the sex was consensual.

At a pre-trial hearing on Thursday, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle chided prosecutors for their late challenge but gave them until next week to substantiate their claims on defence DNA tests.

Jury selection goes ahead on Friday - prospective jurors must complete an 82-item questionnaire.

About 1,000 Eagle County citizens are expected to appear for the process.

The lengthy jury selection could delay opening arguments until 7 September.

The case has a similarly high profile to the murder trial of former football star OJ Simpson in 1995.

However, Judge Ruckriegle has banned television coverage from most of the Bryant trial.

If convicted of sexually assaulting the woman, Mr Bryant could face life in prison as well as fines of up to $750,000.