Opposing sides claim victory after hearing

The defense was aggressive, while the prosecution was convincing.
EAGLE, Colo. (AP) -- Prosecutors tried to portray Kobe Bryant as an arrogant sports celebrity who forced himself on a woman and wouldn't take no for an answer. Defense attorneys were just as rough with his accuser, suggesting she had sex with several men in the days before she said Bryant raped her.
Now it's up to a judge to decide whether the Los Angeles Lakers' guard will stand trial on charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Revealing details
A two-day preliminary hearing jammed full of revealing details about both Bryant and his accuser ended Wednesday with one more startling revelation -- that the panties the woman wore to her rape exam had the semen of another man on them.
Both sides claimed victory, with the prosecution saying it presented clear evidence the woman was raped and the defense contending she lied about a sexual encounter with a man she was more than eager to meet.
"She is not worthy of your belief," defense attorney Pamela Mackey said.
Judge Frederic Gannett is expected to decide that by Monday, when he said he would likely issue a ruling that will either result in the case being dismissed or Bryant being sent to trial on sexual assault charges.
Most legal analysts said they expected Bryant would be ordered to trial, and a prosecutor said there was "uncontradicted" evidence that Bryant raped the 19-year-old woman at a mountain resort.
Prosecutor Greg Crittenden put Eagle County Detective Doug Winters on the stand to lead him through details of an encounter that began with innocent flirtation, got more serious with some consensual kissing and finally escalated into sex.
Admission
But while prosecutors were eager to let the public hear graphic details of how the woman said Bryant forced her into sex, they also got an indication of how savagely the defense will go after his accuser should the case go to trial.
During Wednesday's hearing, Mackey got Winters to admit that another man's semen was on the underwear the woman wore to her rape test the day after her encounter with Bryant. That underwear was a different pair than those the woman said she wore the night she met Bryant.
The revelation plays into the defense's contention that the woman had multiple sexual encounters in the days before she claims she was raped and that her injuries may have been caused by those encounters.
"It's startling, it's impressive but it's negative public relations value for the prosecution is more significant than its legal value," said Stan Goldman, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
If the case goes to trial, though, any discussion of the women's sexual past will be limited by Colorado's Rape Shield Law. And prosecutors may have trouble convincing a jury that a woman enamored of Bryant's celebrity had no intention of having sex with him as they kissed in his room.
If a trial is ordered, Bryant will have to come back within 30 days to enter a plea. After that, a trial could be held within six months, though many expect it to be delayed until next summer's NBA off-season.