Asian film star Edison Chen has refused to testify at the trial of a man accused of distributing explicit pictures of the actor.

The Hong Kong-based star was at the centre of a scandal earlier this year when a tape of him engaging in sexual acts with a string of different women hit the internet.

The video, which Hong Kong Police say captures 1,300 private shots of Chen with at least half a dozen women, was reported to have been copied by staff at a computer shop when Chen put a faulty laptop in for repair.

And now the trial of computer technician Sze Ho-Chun has stalled after Chen refused to return from the United States to give evidence.

Ho-Chun was arrested in his computer store and pleaded not guilty to one count of obtaining access to a computer with a view of making dishonest gain for himself or another.

Prosecutors have now applied to a higher court in the country, seeking permission to obtain testimony from Chen while he is abroad.