Pedophile suspect denies charges

A Thai court yesterday began the formal trial of Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Neil, seven months after he was arrested in a global manhunt triggered by "swirly face" images of abuse found on the Internet.

Neil, his wrists and ankles shackled as he appeared in the Bangkok Criminal Court yesterday, pleaded not guilty to four charges of molesting and distributing pornographic images of two Thai boys.

"I deny all the charges as I have done nothing wrong," Neil, clean-shaven and wearing orange-brown prison clothes, said.