Anand Jon's new trial hope may see light of day

Los Angeles, Jan 16 (ANI): Indian fashion designer Anand Jon can still hope that he will be exonerated from rape charges, for his attorneys have filed a motion in the court for him to receive a new trial.

At Jon's Jan. 13 sentencing hearing in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center here, the proceedings were delayed while Judge David S. Wesley conducted a meeting with deputy district attorneys Mara McIlvain and Frances Young together with Jon's defense attorneys Donald Marks, Anthony Brooklier and Leonard Levin in his chambers, reports Indiawest.com.

After the lengthy meeting, when the parties returned to the courtroom, the judge revealed that Jon's lawyers had filed a motion for Jon to receive a new trial and ordered that "further investigation" immediately commence before he makes a ruling.

The judge told both the prosecution and the defence to reconvene in his courtroom Jan. 28 for a case conference to hear the progress to date on that investigation.

He further ruled that the defence motion for a new trial be sealed, as well as seven binders of My Space documents that have been entered as evidence by the defence.

He also issued a gag order for both the prosecution and defense, forbidding them to comment on the case with the media. (ANI)