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Killer: Anders Behring Breivik, as seen on his Facebook profile

The Norwegian gunman who slaughtered scores of helpless teenagers and planted a huge bomb in Oslo faces a maximum jail term of just 21 years.

Anders Breivik is due to face court for the first time today after the twin atrocity on Friday left more than 90 dead.

The hearing will be held behind closed doors because of security concerns.

Breivik, 32, has admitted carrying out the massacre but has told police that he is not guilty of any crime, according to reports.

His lawyer Geir Lippestad told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that Breivik had requested to appear in a uniform during the hearing, but didn't know what kind.

Brievik had requested an open hearing for his first appearance so that he could explain his atrocities to the public.

Prosecutors want Breivik detained for an initial eight weeks - normally this is in solitary confinement with no access to news, letters or visitors, except a lawyer.

His custody can be extended before his trial on terrorism charges.

Police have said a trial could be a year away. The maximum jail term in Norway is 21 years, although that can be extended if there is a risk of repeat offences.

'In theory he can be in jail for the rest of his life,' said professor of criminal law at the University of Oslo, Staale Eskeland.

The hearing, expected to start after 1pm (1200 BST), has generated a debate about freedom of expression, with many Norwegians opposed to allowing a man who has shaken the nation's psyche to expound his radical views.

More than 60,000 people have signed up to a Facebook page called Shut The Doors On Monday, calling on the court to deny Breivik the publicity he craves.

Another Facebook group called Boycott Anders Behring Breivik carried the message: 'He has planned this stage, to get propaganda. Do NOT let him get that freedom...Boycott all media describing the Norwegian terrorist and his beliefs.'

Behind closed doors: The courtroom in Oslco where Breivik will appear later today

Closed hearing: Security guards at the entrance of the court in Oslo where Anders Behring Breivik is due to appear later today

Huge interest: Journalists queue inside the building to try and get a space in court

If found guilty, Breivik faces a staggeringly lenient sentence as this is the longest sentence available to judges in Norway's benevolent justice system.

In England and Wales, repeat killers can be told they will die behind bars with a 'whole life' tariff, and killers who use a knife or gun face minimum terms of 25 and 30 years.

But in Norway, few killers serve more than 14 years.

Only in exceptional cases, if officials consider a prisoner is still highly dangerous, will sentences be extended for additional five-year blocks.

Norway’s incarceration rates – the number of people jailed per head of population – are among the lowest in Europe. Some 66 are behind bars for every 100,000 citizens, less than half the figure for the UK.

Tribute: A mass off floral tributes have been laid outside Oslo's cathedral in the wake of the killings

Grief of a nation: Mourners have gathered by the makeshift shrine to pay their respects to the victims

Unimagined horror: The killings were the worst massacre carried out by a single gunman in history

The age of criminal responsibility is 15, compared with ten in England and Wales.

Lack of jail spaces means some offenders can wait weeks or even months before being locked up.

Many spend this time at home, often in the heart of the communities where they committed their crimes.

In one notorious case, two boys who killed a five-year-old girl were back at school within two weeks.

The six-year-olds, who have never been named, punched, kicked and beat their playmate Silje Redergard in 1994, a year after the killing of James Bulger in Bootle, Merseyside.

James’s killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were jailed, then released with new identities, and remain on licence for the rest of their lives. Venables is back behind bars after admitting child pornography offences.

By contrast, Norway’s system saw the little girl’s killers given extensive counselling and therapy to help them get over what happened.

They still live in the suburb of Trondheim where the shocking offence took place.