Briton's US murder trial begins

A British man has arrived in court in the US to stand trial for murdering his wife and nine-month-old baby.

Neil Entwistle, 29, from Worksop, Nottinghamshire, is charged with killing his wife Rachel and daughter Lillian Rose in Massachusetts in 2006.

He denies murder and related gun charges, but prosecutors say he scoured the internet for advice on how to kill.

Jury selection has begun at Middlesex Superior Court and several days of legal argument are expected to follow.

Up to 150 potential jurors will be considered for the trial which is due to last at least three weeks.

'Large debts'

Mr Entwistle's American wife and their daughter were found dead in the house they were renting in Hopkinton on 20 January 2006.

Prosecutors say he murdered them before fleeing the US for his parents' home in Worksop the following morning.

According to court papers, they claim that shortly before the murders his internet businesses had failed and he had run up debts of tens of thousands of pounds.

They also say he searched the internet for information on how to kill people and commit suicide.

But Mr Entwistle denies killing his wife and daughter and has told police that he panicked and fled the US after finding their bodies.

He was arrested on 9 February 2006 at Royal Oak underground station in west London and was transported back by US Marshals.

He is also charged with possessing a firearm without a licence and possessing of a firearm without a federal ID card.

If convicted of the double murder, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.