Disgraced 1970s glam rock star Gary Glitter has been arrested trying to flee Vietnam for Thailand and is accused of having sex with underage girls, Vietnamese police and state media said on Sunday.
”He was arrested on Saturday in Ho Chi Minh City,” said a police officer in Vung Tau city, 100km east of the southern Vietnamese business hub.
He was detained at the city’s airport before he could board a flight for Bangkok, state newspaper Tuoi Tre (Youth) said on its website.
Sixty-one-year-old 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.
He was previously jailed in Britain on child pornography charges.
Vung Tau police filed an arrest warrant against Glitter on Friday, accused 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,” the police officer said, declining to give details.
A British embassy spokesperson said they had yet to confirm the information.
”We can confirm that a UK national has been arrested… We understand it is Mr Gadd but until we have had consular access we can’t confirm that at the moment. We are seeking consular access,” the spokesperson said.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Le Dung had said on Thursday that Glitter had been living in Vung Tau city and had applied for permanent residency status.
British tabloids reported earlier this week that Glitter was living in a seafront villa in Vung Tau with a 15-year-old girl.
”If evidence of law violation is found against Mr Paul Francis, especially sexual child abuse, very strict legal measures will apply,” Dung said, without specifying the measures.
Glitter was convicted in Britain for possessing 4 000 hardcore pornographic photos of boys and girls and served four months in jail in 1999.
He was previously reported to have lived in Cuba and Cambodia.
Glitter’s music career peaked in the 1970s with hits including ”I’m The Leader Of The Gang (I Am)”. – Sapa-AFP