Lawyers accuse Edwards aide of theft

HILLSBOROUGH (AP) - Attorneys for John Edwards' mistress yesterday accused a former aide to the Democratic presidential candidate of theft after he turned over a videocamera that belonged to the woman.

Attorneys for Rielle Hunter said that the videocamera was taken from a home where she had been living.

The videocamera was one of several items that former aide Andrew Young gave to the judge.

Young's attorney said he did not know whether the videocamera was Hunter's or whether it belonged to Edwards' presidential campaign.

Hunter has sued Young for invasion of privacy and sought the return of the videotape purportedly showing Edwards in a sexual encounter with his pregnant mistress.

That video has been turned over to the court and placed under seal.

Lawyers for Hunter have pressed Young about conflicting statements he's made about the sex tape. "That's disturbing to me," said Judge Abraham Penn Jones of Superior Court. "I'm not quite sure what I should do about it."

Hunter's attorneys also balked after lawyers for Young said they wanted to see the sex tape to be able to defend Young against Hunter's lawsuit.