Lawyer: Gary Glitter admits girl,11, was in his bed

[ABlairican Pie]

Lawyer: Glitter admits girl, 11, was in his bed
Rocker says child claimed to be afraid of ghosts

The Associated Press
Updated: 5:21 p.m. ET Dec. 9, 2005




HANOI, Vietnam - Former British rocker Gary Glitter admitted to police that an 11-year-old girl slept in his bed, but denied sexually abusing her, his attorney said Thursday.

During interrogations by police, Glitter said he allowed the girl to sleep in his bed after she claimed she was afraid of ghosts, attorney Le Thanh Kinh told The Associated Press.

Glitter, 61, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, is being held in Phuoc Co prison outside coastal Vung Tau city on suspicion of engaging in obscene acts with a child — a charge punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

He is being held amid allegations of having sex with several underage girls, including an 11-year-old and 12-year-old, at his rented seaside home in Vung Tau. He has denied all allegations and has not been formally charged.

Glitter won fame as a flamboyant “glam” rocker in the 1970s. He is perhaps best known for “Rock and Roll (Part 2),” still often played at sporting events to rev up crowds with its pulsing “Hey” chorus.

He was convicted in Britain in 1999 of possessing child pornography and served half of a four-month jail term. He later went to Cambodia and was permanently expelled in 2002, but Cambodian officials did not specify any crime or file charges. He’s been in custody since Nov. 19 when he was seized while trying to board a flight to Bangkok from Ho Chi Minh City.

During questioning by police, Glitter “answered that when this girl (and her aunt) came to his house, he put them in the guest room. But in the middle of night, they said they were very afraid of ghosts and they cannot sleep. So they came to his room and slept there,” Kinh said, adding that he was present during the interrogation.

On another occasion, Glitter told them they could not sleep with him, but “the girls explained to him that in Vietnamese families, the father, the mother and the children sleep in one bed,” Kinh told the AP.

Glitter also told police he went swimming with several girls in his outdoor pool, but denied inappropriate behavior, his attorney said.

“He said he thinks they are like his grandchildren,” Kinh said.

Police have interviewed six females, from 11 to 23 years of age, who alleged they had sex with Glitter.

Vietnam’s penalties for sexual contact with a juvenile vary depending on the charge. The maximum punishment for child rape is death by firing squad, and police have said sex with a child under 13 is considered rape.

Once the investigation is concluded, police officials will recommend to prosecutors what to charge Glitter with in court.

© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

© 2005 MSNBC.com

[Steve M.]

[dawsongirl]

Death by firing squad, huh? Sounds about right.

[rusyd]

I heard about this story before. That is disgusting. Pedaphiles make me sick.

[EmoJoe]

[Ireneparalegal]

is he at it again??? My God, when will the insanity end??????

[bossradio93]

Note: Rather than starting a new thread, on this topic I thought I'd give you the latest information on the man who created the huge instrumental smash hit single "Rock 'n Roll, (Part II)" in 1974. Gary Glitter's conviction was handed down in a Vietnamese courtroom earlier today.


http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/02/vietnam.glitter.ap/index.html

Glitter jailed for child abuse

Friday, March 3, 2006; Posted: 11:07 a.m. EST (16:07 GMT)

VUNG TAU, Vietnam (AP) -- Former rocker Gary Glitter has been found guilty of obscene acts with two Vietnamese girls, and sentenced to three years in prison.

Glitter, best-known for the anthemic "Rock & Roll, Part 2" song played at sports arenas worldwide, shouted "I'm innocent" after the verdict.

Reporters and onlookers allowed into the courthouse in southern Ba Ria-Vung province to hear the verdict following the closed two-day trial, pressed toward Glitter in a scene of pandemonium as police fended them off and escorted him out of the building.

"I haven't done anything. I'm Innocent. It's a conspiracy," Glitter shouted. (Watch for how much Glitter paid the two little girls' families -- 1:31)

Glitter has 15 days to appeal and could become eligible for early parole if he behaves well in prison, officials said, according to Reuters news service.

Glitter, 61, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was convicted of committing obscene acts with a 10-year-old and 11-year-old girl at his rented seaside villa in southern Vung Tau last year.

He was then sentenced to three years in prison, followed by deportation from Vietnam.

The court, in its verdict, cited graphic testimony from the girls that Glitter had fondled and molested them, and took showers with them naked, in his rented home and in nearby hotels.

Glitter has said he was teaching the girls English at his home and considered them "like his grandchildren."

He has been in police custody since November 19, when he was seized in Ho Chi Minh City trying to board a flight out of the country. Police confiscated his laptop, which had hundreds of pornographic pictures on it.

During the criminal investigation, police considered charging Glitter with child rape, which carries a maximum penalty of death, but said they did not find enough evidence.

The girls' families wrote to the court in December, asking that charges be dropped after Glitter paid $2,000 to each of them.

Although prosecutors decided to move forward with the case anyway, under Vietnam's legal system, the payments are considered "compensation" that counts towards lessening any sentence.

The sleepy resort town of Vung Tau, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, has drawn intense attention from international media.

Glitter's fall from grace began with a 1999 conviction in Britain for possessing child pornography. He served two months in jail.

He later went to Cambodia but was expelled in 2002. Officials did not specify why Glitter was deported.

Copyright ©2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CNN.com-March 3, 2006

[Brad Russ]

It's too bad Michael Jackson's trial wasn't held in Vietnam!! Anyway, it's nice to see a guilty verdict in a celebrity trial for a change.

[Brian Damage]

Kill the bastard!