The disgraced former American footballer O.J. Simpson returned to court today charged with the armed robbery of sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel, 12 years after being found not guilty of a gruesome double murder.

A judge will formally rule on whether there is sufficient evidence for Simpson and his co-defendants to go on trial for a string of offences including robbery, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon.

The 60-year-old is alleged have burst into a hotel room with an armed gang and seized memorabilia worth $80,000 (£38,000) at gunpoint from two dealers. An audio recording of Simpson apparently orchestrating the heist has been released.

Simpson’s lawyers said the ex- Hollywood and sport star is innocent of all charges and will plead not guilty just as he did after the murder of his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994.

In scenes reminiscent of that 1995 court case dubbed “The Trial of the Century”, hundreds of protestors, supporters and reporters gathered outside the Las Vegas court today.

Three associates initially accused of involvement have agreed to testify against Simpson. Charles Cashmore, Walter Alexander, and Michael McClinton were expected to tell the court that guns were used in the incident and that Simpson had played a leading role in the alleged heist.

The trio of plea deals has tightened the case being built against Simpson and two other men involved, Clarence Stewart and Charles Ehrlich.

A kidnapping conviction could result in a sentence of life in prison while an armed robbery conviction would mean a mandatory spell in jail.

Since his arrest Simpson has maintained that he only wanted to retrieve items that he claimed had been stolen from him by a former agent, including the suit he wore the day he was acquitted in Los Angeles.

He and his lawyers insisted that that no guns were displayed during the incident, that he never asked anyone to bring guns and he did not know anyone had guns.

Before becoming one of the best known defendants in the world, Simpson was among the most famous American football players of his generation during a glittering 1970s career that saw him set several records.

Simpson was the prime suspect in the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.

Nicole, who had filed for divorce from Simpson in 1992 citing his “abusive behaviour,” was attacked so savagely that she was almost decapitated.

Simpson, who has always vehemently denied the killings, was acquitted of murder in 1995, a verdict that was greeted with widespread outrage across America. Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims’ families totalling $33.5 million (£15.9 million).

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