CAPE TOWN, NOV 25: Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, committed adultery within months of his marriage, according to court testimony on Monday. Spencer appeared in Cape Town's high court at the start of hearings to decide if his divorce from former model Victoria Lockwood will take place in Britain or his adopted home of South Africa.

During a day of complex legal arguments, Lockwood's lawyer, Jeremy Gauntlet, told the court the case would include details of Spencer's affairs with up to a dozen women. Within months of the marriage the plaintiff was unfaithful. There had been a whole series of liaisons thereafter,'' Ggauntlet said.

Gauntlet also questioned a British family lawyer on whether adultery would have an effect on the size of the settlement if the case was decided in Britain.

The lawyer, Jeremy Posnansky, said it was likely a husband's behaviour would be taken into account in a British court. Most of Spencer's assets are in Britain. If the case is heard there, Lockwood would likely get a larger court-ordered settlement than in South Africa.

Gauntlet said a South African court should not rule on a marriage between two British nationals. He noted the couple's four children were all enrolled at British schools, indicating the move to South Africa was not permanent.Spencer wants the case heard in South Africa.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.