NATION IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Defense Questions Central Park Jogger

The scarred woman known as the Central Park jogger was cross-examined for the first time since she was gang-raped and nearly beaten to death. One defense lawyer refused to question her, but the other asked about her sex life, her job competence, her physical condition, her memory and whether she had been assaulted by the men in her life. Many of his questions were not answered because the prosecution’s objections were sustained. Two of six teen-agers indicted in the attack are on trial now on charges of rape, assault and attempted murder. The lawyer for defendant Kharey Wise suggested that the woman’s injuries were less serious than the prosecution claimed and that a man she knew might have attacked her.