(LONDON) -- A British nudist campaigner appeared in court -- arriving at his trial with nothing on, court officials say.

Vincent Bethell, from Coventry in central England, 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 Friday 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, media reports said.

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 legalized in Britain.

As the law stands, anyone appearing naked in public can be prosecuted under the Public Order Act of 1986.

The trial, which began on Thursday, is expected to last four days.