PHIL SPECTOR - PHIL SPECTOR GOES ON TRIAL

PHIL SPECTOR GOES ON TRIAL

Renowned music producer Phil Spector has gone on trial for murder in Los Angeles.

Spector, 67, applauded for his work with top artists such as the Beatles and the Righteous Brothers during the 1960s, is accused of killing a B-movie actress at his Hollywood mansion.

Lana Clarkson, 40, was found shot dead at Spector's home in February 2003.

The actress, whose film roles included titles such as Amazon Women on the Moon and Barbarian Queen, had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to her face.

Opening the trial yesterday, prosecutor Alan Jackson said that Clarkson was "simply the last in a long line of women who fell victim to Phillip Spector over the years".

He described the music mogul as someone who "when he is confronted with the right circumstances, turns sinister and deadly".

Spector, who was once hailed in the music world for the adoption of his 'Wall of Sound' recording technique, denies murdering Clarkson. Defence lawyers for the music producer are set to tell jurors that the actress killed herself.

According to reports, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono could be among those appearing as a witness at the trial, which is being hailed as the biggest celebrity legal case since singer Michael Jackson was acquitted on child abuse charges by a court in 2005.