A NEPALESE army officer has been remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with two counts of torture.

Colonel Kumar Lama, 46, who is currently employed as a UN peacekeeper, is accused of committing the alleged crimes in Nepal during the country's civil war in 2005. He was arrested at his home in East Sussex on Thursday.

He faces trial in Britain under a law that allows prosecution of alleged war criminals.

Lama spoke only to confirm his identity at the hearing, where he was charged with intentionally inflicting "severe pain or suffering" as a public official on two separate individuals. He will appear at the Old Bailey in London on January 24.