Accused US child rapist fights Hong Kong extradition

HONG KONG, July 19 (Reuters) One of America's most wanted fugitives, accused of raping his daughter and posting the video on the Internet, has contested a US extradition request, his lawyer said today after a court appearance in Hong Kong.

Kenneth Freeman, 45, a body-builder and former sheriff's deputy from Washington state, contested the extradition request to the United States where he faces charges of child rape and production of child pornography.

If convicted he could be sentenced to life imprisonment.

''We would not be contesting it unless we had good grounds,'' lawyer Giles Surman told reporters after the brief Hong Kong court appearance in which the case was adjourned until Sept.

10.

A Hong Kong magistrate will hear evidence levelled against Freeman on that date and decide whether there's a prima facie case to extradite Freeman back to the United States.

Freeman, described by the US Marshals Service as ''one of the world's most notorious accused child molesters'', appeared in court wearing a white shirt and dark pants, looking at the judge with a stern expression.

Freeman fled his Seattle home in early 2006 after federal charges were brought against him, sparking a worldwide manhunt.

He was arrested by Hong Kong police in May as he crossed into the city from China, where US authorities believed he'd been living and working in the eastern city of Suzhou, near Shanghai.

An extradition treaty exists between the United States and Hong Kong, but not with China.

The purported Internet video of Freeman was one of the most widely downloaded child pornography videos in years, US law enforcement officials have said.

REUTERS GT VV0951