The Islamic cleric Abu Hamza refused to appear on a video link to the Old Bailey to face terrorism charges today, after complaining that his toenails were too long.

Mr Hamza, the former Imam of Finsbury Park mosque in North London, had been due to enter pleas to 16 charges, including soliciting murder, via a camera link to the court while he sat in a special room at Belmarsh Prison, South London.

But as the Recorder of London Judge Peter Beaumont, barristers and police waited in vain at the Old Bailey for Mr Hamza to appear on screen, a prison officer warned them that he was refusing to leave his cell.

The officer said: "He is refusing to come over here. He is being checked over by medical staff. He is saying he is unable to walk."

Paul Hynes, Mr Hamza's defence counsel, said: "He has been perambulating around the prison bare foot for the last couple of days. It is a long-standing problem."

Mr Hynes said that the defence was not ready, in any case, to enter pleas.

Adina Ezekiel, prosecuting, said: "The Crown do have some concerns. He is complaining his toenails are too long."

She asked that Hamza be produced in person at the court for future court appearances.

Judge Beaumont remanded Mr Hamza back into custody for 14 days and ordered that a trial, if there was a trial, would take place on July 4.

The judge asked for a report on Hamza’s medical condition and said future proceedings might have to be held at Woolwich Crown Court, nearer the prison.

Mr Hamza, 47, who has no hands and only one eye, is accused of ten charges under the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, alleging he solicited others at public meetings to murder non-believers, including Jews.

Mr Hamza also faces four charges under the Public Order Act 1986 of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up racial hatred".

A further charge alleges that he was in possession of eight video and audio recordings, which he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred.

The final charge, under section 58 of the Terrorism Act, accuses him of possession of a document which contained information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".

Extradition proceedings to the United States, where Hamza is wanted in relation to other matters, have been suspended pending the outcome of the criminal hearing.

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