Nudist campaigner in court

London - A British nudist campaigner appeared for trial yesterday with nothing on, court officials said.

London - A British nudist campaigner appeared for trial yesterday with nothing on, court officials said.

Mr Vincent Bethell, from Coventry, is charged with causing a public nuisance by refusing to wear clothes in a public place on several occasions last August.

He was ordered by the judge to remain seated in the dock during the trial at London's Southwark Crown Court, affording the jury no more than a glimpse of his body.

A supporter of the "Freedom to be Yourself Campaign", the 28-year-old former art student has said he wants non-sexual public nudity to be legalised in Britain. As the law stands, anyone appearing naked in public can be prosecuted under the Public Order Act of 1986.