Sandusky lawyers granted evidence hearing

The judge who presided over former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse case said Tuesday that defense lawyers can have an evidentiary hearing to explore their claim that they lacked sufficient time to prepare for trial.

Judge John Cleland's one-sentence order set the proceeding for the Centre County Courthouse on Jan. 10.

At issue is Cleland's refusal to delay the trial "based on the defendant's inability to integrate the vast amount of material turned over by the prosecution to the defense when trial was imminent." Defense lawyers argued that that violated Sandusky's rights by preventing them from being able to use those materials in his defense.

Cleland moved the case from arrest to trial in seven months. In June, jurors convicted Sandusky of 45 counts involving 10 victims, including violent sexual attacks inside Penn State athletics facilities. Cleland sentenced Sandusky to 30 to 60 years in state prison. Sandusky, who spent decades at the university under Joe Paterno, maintains his innocence and is pursuing appeals. - AP