Vietnam to deport Gary Glitter to Britain
HANOI (Reuters) - Fallen British rock star Gary Glitter will be deported to Britain on Tuesday after completing a 27-month sentence for molesting two young girls, his lawyer said.
Glitter, 63, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested in November 2005 at Ho Chi Minh airport as he tried to leave the country and sentenced to three years in jail following a one-day trial where he pleaded not guilty.
The conviction was upheld on appeal, but the sentence was reduced by three months. Jail time served is counted from the date of arrest, meaning he is eligible for release this month.
"My client will have to board a flight to London, his ticket has been bought by the authorities here," Glitter's lawyer Le Thanh Kinh told Reuters by telephone from Ho Chi Minh City.
"After he lands in London, he's free to go wherever he wants," Kinh added.
State media reported this week Glitter has been doing chores at a prison clinic in Binh Thuan province, 190 km (118 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City and adjacent to the coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau where he molested two 11-year-old girls while living in a villa.
He rose to fame in the 1970s with a bouffant hairstyle, make-up, high heels and "glam rock" stage performances. His hits included "Rock and Roll (Parts 1 & 2)" and "I Love You Love Me Love", "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" and "I'm the Leader of Gang (I am)".
(Reporting by Nguyen Nhat Lam; Editing by David Fox)
