Spector 'has gun threat history'

Mr Spector will stand trial in September

Music producer Phil Spector, who is to stand trial on charges of murdering an actress, has a history of pointing guns at people, prosecutors have claimed.

The pioneer has pointed guns at five women and been involved in other gun-related incidents, prosecutors said in court documents released on Monday.

Mr Spector, 65, denies murdering Lana Clarkson and will stand trial later this year.

He claims Ms Clarkson committed suicide at his home in suburban Alhambra.

'Gold diggers'

In a motion filed last month, the prosecution listed nine occasions when Mr Spector allegedly pointed a gun at someone, including women he dated.

Prosecutors said: "Spector has a long history of gun-related violence, much of it directed against women."

The court documents added: "It begins in 1972 and continues to the present."

Prosecutors want the jury to be told about the previous incidents. The judge will decide in May.

But Mr Spector's lawyer, Bruce Cutler, called the allegations "bunk" and said they came from "disgruntled gold diggers and others".

"Number one, he didn't do this in the past, and number two, he did not kill this lady," Mr Cutler said.

Loaded firearm

Mr Spector, 65, is accused of killing the B-movie actress at his Los Angeles home in February 2003.

An autopsy showed a gun was placed in her mouth and fired. Mr Spector claims she shot herself and has described his prosecution as "bogus".

Mr Spector, who is free on $1m (£520,000) bail, is credited with inventing the "wall of sound" technique and helping the careers of Cher and the Ronettes.

Among the incidents listed by prosecutors were a guilty plea for carrying a loaded firearm in a public place in 1972 and a guilty plea for brandishing a firearm at a Beverly Hills hotel three years later.