'Swirly face' paedophile suspect goes on trial over allegations he paid a nine-year-old boy for sex

Christopher Paul Neil, 32, who worked as a teacher in several Asian countries, pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case, a court statement said.

Neil was arrested in Thailand on Oct. 19, 2007 after the France-based international police agency unscrambled swirled digital images from Internet photos, which allegedly show Neil engaging in sexual acts with young boys.

The court set the date for the first witness testimony for October 7, the statement said.

Accused: Suspected Canadian paedophile Christopher Paul Neil arrives at court in Bangkok today

Neil is accused of sexually abusing a nine-year-old Thai boy, who contacted police after seeing him on television following his arrest.

The child claims Neil paid him £5 to to perform sex act on him in 2003, while he was living in Thailand.

Prosecutors said they plan to put the victim, now 14, on the stand to testify.

Neil - shackled and wearing an orange prison uniform in court - faces up to 20 years in jail for charges that include sexually abusing a minor, videotaping the alleged abuse, taking a child without parental consent, and holding him against his will.

Interpol's unprecedented public call for help to apprehend the accused pedophile was based on the discovery of some 200 Internet photos that show a man sexually abusing at least a dozen Vietnamese and Cambodian boys, some as young as 6.

The photos were found online in 2004, but the face of the perpetrator was digitally obscured by a swirling shape.

Interpol was able to unscramble the images with the help of German police computer experts three years later, and circulated the pictures publicly.

Hundreds of tips were received and Neil was arrested 11 days after the Interpol appeal was launched.

Neil had taught at various schools in South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam since 2000. Previously, Neil worked as a chaplain in Canada, counseling teens.