Three of the five men accused of raping and murdering an Indian student in December will plead not guilty, their lawyer told Reuters Wednesday, alleging that the police investigation was rushed and indicating his clients wish to stand trial:
Lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma, who is representing the bus driver, who is the main accused, his brother and another man, said he was keen for the case to go to trial so that the evidence police had presented could be tested in court.
“We will plead not guilty. We want this to go to trial,” Sharma told Reuters.
“We are only hearing what the police are saying. This is manipulated evidence. It’s all on the basis of hearsay and presumption.”
It’s not clear if the two other accused men have a lawyer. Authorities are still trying to determine if a sixth suspect is under the age of 18.
