Skyscraper climber faces charges in Sydney

A French skyscraper climber has pleaded not guilty in a Sydney court to charges of unlawful entry and risking the safety of another by climbing a building.

Alain Robert was arrested Monday after climbing the Lumiere residential building in the Australian city without ropes or other equipment.

The climber, who terms himself the "French Spider-Man," denied he put anyone's life at risk in the bare-handed climb up the 57-storey building.

"I was not endangering people," Robert said outside Sydney District Court on Friday. "There was no point for me to plead guilty."

Robert, 48, has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers around the world, including the Empire State Building in New York and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

He also has faced numerous charges in connection with his hobby. On his website Robert says "Climbing is my passion, my philosophy of life."

He will appear in court again on Oct. 15.