Shamed Glitter lands in Hong Kong

Paedophile pop star Gary Glitter has arrived in Hong Kong, according to reports. He earlier left Thailand travelling under his real name Paul Gadd. Police Colonel Voravat Amornvivat said Glitter boarded a Thai Airways flight to the Chinese territory after he refused to return to the UK. Earlier, Thai immigration police said they would deport the shamed glam rocker "as soon as possible" despite his claims of health problems. Glitter flew to Bangkok on Tuesday, having been kicked out of Vietnam at the end of nearly three years in jail for child sex abuse. He refused to board an onward flight to London, claiming ear and heart problems, but Thai police said they were not convinced. Thai officials refused to let him through passport control and into the country and Glitter demanded to be allowed to fly to Singapore. In a statement police said: "We are barring entry to Paul Francis Gadd and will be deporting him to his home country, England, unconditionally and even if he does not wish to board the plane." "We are now waiting to return him to England as soon as possible." Colonel Puttipong Musikul, of Thai Immigration police, said Glitter was in a good mood despite waiting in transit for hours. He said: "Now we are talking and he seems to be (in) a great mood - laughing and enjoy(ing) chatting with our negotiators." "It's kind of breaking the ice first before asking him to change his mind." Glitter had arrived in Bangkok after a 90-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, after serving two years and nine months of a three-year sentence for abusing two girls aged 10 and 11. He was due to arrive at Heathrow on Wednesday morning, where he would have been met by police and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said she does not want him to be able to travel abroad again. And children's charities have criticised his stated intention of returning to the UK to take advantage of the NHS. He suffered from health problems while in prison and was treated for a heart condition and tinnitus. He has said he wants to return to the UK for treatment.

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ITN | August 20, 2008

Tags:. .earlier. .abusing. .abuse. .prison. .pop