Lawyers for accused Colorado theatre gunman want leaks probed

(REUTERS) - Attorneys for accused Colorado theatre gunman James Holmes are demanding an investigation into the release of a recent booking photo of their client and leaks about a notebook he sent to his psychiatrist, court documents showed on Wednesday.

Public defenders complained in the documents that a recent picture of Holmes released to the media violated a gag order imposed by Arapahoe County District Court Judge William Sylvester in the case.

Holmes, a 24-year-old former neuroscience graduate student, is accused of opening fire at a suburban Denver movie theatre during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, killing 12 moviegoers and wounding 58 others.

In a motion to the court, the defence asked the judge to order a probe into how and why the picture was taken and distributed to the media. It also asks the court to consider what sanctions might be "an appropriate response to this violation".