Ghosts of Double Murders Haunt Court As Oj Simpson Trial Begins

Thirteen years after being cleared of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, OJ Simpson returned to a criminal court yesterday to face charges that, if convicted, could see him jailed for the rest of his life.

Facing 12 charges, including kidnap, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, Simpson sat in a Las Vegas court as the assistant district attorney Chris Owens told the jury: "We are going to spend the next few days finding which may be the true face of ... Simpson, not necessarily the one he tries to put out to the world."

The prosecution's presentation relied heavily on indistinct recordings of conversations between Simpson and a group of men allegedly plotting to seize property from two sporting memorabilia sellers.

Simpson claimed that the items being hawked from room 1203 of the Palace Station hotel in Las Vegas last September - including autographed balls, family photographs and the suit he wore to court the day he was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman - belonged to him. He went there with five accomplices to retrieve them.

The first witness described yesterday how Simpson "burst" into the room with a group of armed men. "He said, 'Don't let anyone leave this room. Nobody gets out of here'," sports memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong told the jury. "He [Simpson] had a surprised look on his face. He was hollering: 'How could you steal my stuff? I thought you were a good guy'."

The vendors allege Simpson and his accomplices stole their property at gunpoint. Simpson claims he was not aware of weapons being used. "My client was recovering personal property that was stolen from his home many years prior," his lawyer, Yale Galanter, said during the defense's opening statement. "These are pictures that were hanging on the wall, pictures of his deceased mum. These were items that had been missing for years."

Four of the men who accompanied Simpson have agreed to testify against him, including two who are alleged to have carried handguns during the incident.

In the recordings, Simpson refers to "Goldman", apparently a reference to his desire to keep his assets away from Goldman's family. He was found liable for Goldman's death - and that of his former wife - in a civil case, and was ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages.