Vietnamese prosecutors have recommended that former British rock star Gary Glitter stand trial for committing obscene acts with children, officials said on Friday.
”We chose to issue an indictment for obscene acts with children,” said Tran Chuong, head of the prosecutor’s office in Vietnam’s southern Vung Tau province.
”Once signed, this indictment will be transmitted to the court,” he told Agence France Presse.
Glitter’s lawyer Le Thanh Kinh confirmed the information, saying: ”The file will be sent to the court, I think, early next week. If he is tried in a court, he may receive a sentence of between three and seven years.”
Police say two girls, aged 11 and 12, have alleged that the 61-year-old Glitter, sexually abused them in Vung Tau. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was arrested in November as he was trying to flee the communist country for Thailand.
Last month, Kinh had said his client would not face the charge of child rape — which could have carried the death penalty — due to a lack of evidence.
Chuong said it was very unlikely Glitter could be tried before the end of the month. The court theoretically still has the choice between trying Glitter, dropping the case or asking for more investigation.
The lawyer had proposed soon after his arrest to pay $40 000 so Glitter could be released on bail.
Kinh confirmed on Friday he was still pursuing bail for Glitter, but said there would be no need for bail if the case came to court shortly.
He added that his client was likely to serve his prison term in Vietnam if convicted.
The former rock star has paid a total of $4 000 to the families of the two Vietnamese girls, after what the lawyer described as ”several rounds of negotiation.”
But police said the payments were a civil affair and had no implications for the criminal proceedings.
Glitter previously served prison time in Britain after being found with a massive collection of child pornography.
Another foreigner, an Austrian national, was recently arrested in Vietnam at the request of Interpol for allegedly abusing children in several countries.
Peter Mueller was taken into custody on December 26 in Ho Chi Minh City and later handed over to Austrian police. – Sapa-AFP