Glitter met by police at Heathrow
- 00:01:30
- ITN
Glitter met by police at Heathrow
Convicted child abuser Gary Glitte has been greeted by police at Heathrow Airport. The former 70s glam rock singer was escorted through immigration and customs after touching down on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, was expected to appear in court later and will be served an order which will effectively put him on the sex offenders register for a second time. He will be required to tell authorities where he plans to live, be monitored by police and the probation service, and could also face an order prohibiting him from going near children or using the internet. The 64-year-old had spent several days trying to avoid returning to the UK following his release from a Vietnamese jail on Tuesday. But he was refused entry to Thailand twice and Hong Kong once before finally agreeing to leave Bangkok on a plane bound for London. Glitter had served almost three years in a Vietnamese jail for abusing two girls aged 10 and 11. He was ordered out of Vietnam and travelled to Bangkok, where he was expected to board a flight to Heathrow under the terms of his release. But on arrival in the Thai capital, Glitter reportedly feigned heart and ear trouble to avoid boarding the UK-bound plane. He was barred entry to Thailand and warned he would be taken to a detention centre if he continued to refuse to leave the country. After spending around 20 hours in the transit lounge at Bangkok Airport, Glitter boarded a flight to Hong Kong last night in the hope that he would be accepted there. But the Chinese authorities barred him entry and he was put back on a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok on Thursday. On his arrival he was told by Thai authorities that he was not welcome. With a growing list of countries stating that they would deny him entry, Glitter agreed to return to the UK. The former chart-topping singer was convicted of downloading child pornography in the UK in 1999 after a computer repair shop found the images on his laptop and he served two months of a four-month sentence. He left the country and moved to Spain and Cuba before travelling to southeast Asia, where he escaped detection until he was tracked down by reporters. He was kicked out of Cambodia after facing allegations of sex crimes and moved to the Vietnamese coastal resort of Vung Tau. The two girls at first made allegations of rape, which carries a death sentence, but were reportedly paid off with £1,175. Glitter was arrested trying to leave the country and stood trial, pleading not guilty and claiming he was teaching the girls English. He was convicted and sentenced to three years in March 2006.
ITN | August 22, 2008
