Gary Glitter arrested over child sex
From correspondents in Hanoi
The Australian
Australia
José F. Sánchez
Bureau Chief
USA
Research Dept.
La Nueva Cuba
November 21, 2005
DISGRACED 1970s glam rock star Gary Glitter has been arrested trying to flee Vietnam for Thailand and accused of having sex with underage girls.
The 61-year-old former rocker, who previously served prison time in Britain after being found with a massive collection of hardcore child pornography, was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City airport.
He was trying to skip the country on a flight to Bangkok, said an immigration official at the southern business hub's Tan Son Nhat airport.
Vietnamese authorities said last week they were urgently trying to track Glitter down after British media reported that the performer famed for his outlandish outfits and bouffant hair was living with a 15-year-old girl.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, is being investigated for allegedly having sex with two girls aged 12 and 17 since arriving in the country in March, state media said.
Police in the city where he was alleged to have been living in a seafront villa with the 15-year-old girl filed an arrest warrant for Glitter, accusing him of indulging in "lewd acts with children".
The charge carries a sentence of up to 12 years in jail.
"According to Vietnamese law, Glitter faces judicial proceedings for this criminal offence but this question must be addressed in due course," a police officer in the city said, declining to be named or give further details.
A British embassy spokesman said Glitter had received a consular visit.
"Mr Gadd has now been visited by British consular officials," the official said. "We are satisfied with his treatment and we'll continue to take interest in his case as we would with all other British nationals in similar situations."
The embassy spokesman declined to specify where Glitter was being held.
Foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung had said that Glitter had been living in Vung Tau city, 100km east of Ho Chi Minh City, and had applied for permanent residency status.
British tabloids who tracked him down reported last week that Glitter was living in the city.
"Authorities are trying to trace this gentleman and to clarify the relationship between him and a Vietnamese juvenile," Mr Dung said at the time.
"If evidence of law violation is found against Mr Paul Francis (Gadd), especially sexual child abuse, very strict legal measures will apply," Mr Dung said, without elaborating.
Glitter's musical career peaked in the 1970s with hits including I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am), and was convicted in Britain of possessing 4000 pornographic images of children. He served four months in jail in 1999.
He is also reported to have lived in Cuba and Cambodia.
http://www.lanuevacuba.com/nuevacuba/notic-05-11-2201.htm
From correspondents in Hanoi
The Australian
Australia
José F. Sánchez
Bureau Chief
USA
Research Dept.
La Nueva Cuba
November 21, 2005
DISGRACED 1970s glam rock star Gary Glitter has been arrested trying to flee Vietnam for Thailand and accused of having sex with underage girls.
The 61-year-old former rocker, who previously served prison time in Britain after being found with a massive collection of hardcore child pornography, was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City airport.
He was trying to skip the country on a flight to Bangkok, said an immigration official at the southern business hub's Tan Son Nhat airport.
Vietnamese authorities said last week they were urgently trying to track Glitter down after British media reported that the performer famed for his outlandish outfits and bouffant hair was living with a 15-year-old girl.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, is being investigated for allegedly having sex with two girls aged 12 and 17 since arriving in the country in March, state media said.
Police in the city where he was alleged to have been living in a seafront villa with the 15-year-old girl filed an arrest warrant for Glitter, accusing him of indulging in "lewd acts with children".
The charge carries a sentence of up to 12 years in jail.
"According to Vietnamese law, Glitter faces judicial proceedings for this criminal offence but this question must be addressed in due course," a police officer in the city said, declining to be named or give further details.
A British embassy spokesman said Glitter had received a consular visit.
"Mr Gadd has now been visited by British consular officials," the official said. "We are satisfied with his treatment and we'll continue to take interest in his case as we would with all other British nationals in similar situations."
The embassy spokesman declined to specify where Glitter was being held.
Foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung had said that Glitter had been living in Vung Tau city, 100km east of Ho Chi Minh City, and had applied for permanent residency status.
British tabloids who tracked him down reported last week that Glitter was living in the city.
"Authorities are trying to trace this gentleman and to clarify the relationship between him and a Vietnamese juvenile," Mr Dung said at the time.
"If evidence of law violation is found against Mr Paul Francis (Gadd), especially sexual child abuse, very strict legal measures will apply," Mr Dung said, without elaborating.
Glitter's musical career peaked in the 1970s with hits including I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am), and was convicted in Britain of possessing 4000 pornographic images of children. He served four months in jail in 1999.
He is also reported to have lived in Cuba and Cambodia.
http://www.lanuevacuba.com/nuevacuba/notic-05-11-2201.htm
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