Attorneys ask Colorado judge to halt incest trial

LAWYERS FOR an 11-year-old Swiss-American boy facing charges of molesting his five-year-old sister were expected yesterday to ask an American judge to throw out the case on the grounds the boy's right to a quick trial has been violated.

If the case is thrown out, Raoul Wuthrich would leave the courthouse with the Swiss consul and fly back to Switzerland, one of his attorneys, Vincent Todd, said. The attorney's argue the child's trial should have been held within 60 days of September 8, when he was denied bail as a flight risk.

Raoul was to be arraigned in Golden, Colorado yesterday on one count of aggravated incest and one count of sexual assault for allegedly molesting his sister. Raoul and his parents deny the charges, saying he was helping his sister urinate in their garden.

The boy's parents, Andreas and Beverly Wuthrich, left their home in Evergreen and fled to Switzerland after Raoul was arrested on 30 August. They said they feared authorities would take their other three children, and they would be arrested.

Swiss and German media have championed Raoul's cause, expressing outrage over the handcuffing, shackling and arrest of an 11-year-old. The Swiss authorities are continuing to work toward a possible transfer of the boy to Switzerland. (AP)