Vietnam releases Gary Glitter from prison
BINH THUAN, Vietnam (AP) -August 19. 2008 Guards removed Glitter, 64, from the Thu Duc prison in Binh
Thuan province and were transporting him Tuesday morning to the Ho
Chi Minh City airport, some three hours away, said prison director
Tran Huu Thong.
Glitter has said he does not want to return to the UK. In a
recent interview with Vietnamese newspaper Cong An Nhan Dan
(People's Police), Glitter said he was thinking about resuming his
singing career and that he might move to Hong Kong or Singapore.
Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, was convicted in
March 2006 of molesting two girls, ages 10 and 11, from the
southern coastal city of Vung Tau. He served two years and nine
months of a three-year sentence, which was reduced for good
behavior.
In his 1970s heyday, Glitter performed in jumpsuits, silver
platform shoes and bouffant wigs. He sold 18 million records and
recorded a string of British top-10 hits.
His most successful song, the crowd-pleasing anthem "Rock and
Roll (Part 2)" cracked the top 10 in the United States, where it
continues to bring sports fans to their feet with its rousing
one-word chorus: "Hey!"
In November 2005, police launched a weeklong manhunt for Glitter
after allegations arose that he had been molesting girls at his
villa. He was arrested at the Ho Chi Minh City airport, where he
was trying to board a flight to Bangkok.
Glitter said he was innocent of the charges. The court verdict
said that Glitter had molested the girls repeatedly at his villa
and in nearby hotels.
