The legal defence team of Australian filmmaker and accused spy James Ricketson have hit hurdles in Cambodia, with key witnesses unavailable and the accused claiming his prison cell had been raided and his case file confiscated.

Key points: Judge said he attempted to retrieve documents, couldn't reach prison chief

Judge said he attempted to retrieve documents, couldn't reach prison chief Mr Ricketson said it was up to the court to prove that he is a spy, not a filmmaker

Mr Ricketson said it was up to the court to prove that he is a spy, not a filmmaker The absent witnesses are expected to testify when the trial resumes Monday

Expected on Friday, a verdict will now be delayed until next week, with Mr Ricketson, 69, facing up to 10 years in prison on charges of collecting information that could jeopardise Cambodia's national security.

In lieu of its final witnesses, the defence spent the morning establishing Mr Ricketson as a legitimate filmmaker, including with the presentation of a 15-minute video clip made up of photographs and excerpts from a body of work stretching back 40 years.

"The purpose of this is to demonstrate that I am a filmmaker," Mr Ricketson said, as he narrated the clip.

"But frankly, all of this information can be easily googled.

I think it's up to the court to prove that I am not a filmmaker, that I am a spy pretending to be a filmmaker."

Mr Ricketson has been in prison for 14 months. ( Facebook: James Ricketson )

'I don't advocate for any side'

Mr Ricketson's arrest for flying a photographic drone over a political rally in June last year came amid a widespread crackdown on opposition politicians and independent media.

Articles published by Government-friendly media outlets placed the Australian filmmaker in a network of individuals and entities that were said to be fomenting a "colour revolution" that would overthrow the Government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years.

On Thursday, the prosecution presented a case the defence said did not even warrant a rebuttal, including photographs of Cambodian security forces in formation and at work putting down demonstrations.

"There is only one country in the world that equates documentary making with espionage — and I am in that country now," Mr Ricketson told the court Friday.

"I don't advocate for any side — just poor and powerless people who are disadvantaged in one way or another."

Imprisoned in dire conditions for more than 14 months, Mr Ricketson seemed to revel in the opportunity to present his life's work to the court.

Mr Ricketson said he only cared for "the poor and the powerless". ( Facebook: James Ricketson )

At one point, while speaking about a program where contestants were placed on a tiny island without food or water, he joked that the show was the, "perfect preparation for my time in Prey Sar prison".

Earlier in proceedings, Mr Ricketson railed against prison guards whom he claimed had "stolen" all his defence materials while he was in court on Thursday.

"I can't run my defence properly without the documents in those folders," Mr Ricketson said.

Judge Seng Leang said he had attempted to have the material retrieved, but was unable to get in touch with the prison chief.

Mr Ricketson, who has been a staunch and vocal critic of the Cambodian Government over two decades, was questioned at length about his sources of funding, his evident fixation with Cambodia and his financial status.

"I don't have many possessions," he told the court.

"I have a car worth perhaps $300, I don't own a house. Basically, all I have is my camera and equipment."

The absent witnesses — the husband and daughter of Mr Ricketson's Cambodian "goddaughter", who gave birth overnight — are expected to testify when the trial resumes on Monday.