Glitter defiant at child abuse trial

Andrew Drummond|Vietnam|Rob Singh|Evening Standard

11 April 2012

Gary Glitter could be freed within two years if convicted of child sex abuse.

Vietnamese prosecutors called for a three to four year sentence for the former glam rock star charged with offences against girls aged 11 and 12.

It means Glitter, real name Paul Francis Gadd, will be released within 24 months. Unless he is deported he will be free to carry on travelling.

The prosecution said in court today that they felt the limited sentence was sufficient punishment for the offences against young Vietnamese girls.

It was a far cry from the original death sentence he faced when Vietnamese police said they were investigating charges of child rape. As Glitter arrived at court in Vung Tau he flashed a "V" sign and proclaimed his innocence.

Amid chaotic scenes, the former glam rocker repeatedly shouted "I'm innocent" as he was bundled into the closed courtroom.

The 61-year-old denied committing obscene acts against two girls under 13. If convicted, he faces between three and seven years in prison.

Gadd arrived in a prison van with four Vietnamese policemen from Phouc Cou prison, where he has been held since November.

Dressed casually in a shirt, black trousers, sunglasses, white loafers and a baseball cap, he was escorted by police into the People's Court.

As the charges were read out Gadd swaggered in the dock, still wearing his large aviator-style sunglasses. But he removed his cap and when asked to plead, he said: "Not guilty, I'm innocent".

His alleged victims - Nguyen Thi Hong and Tran Thi Thu Diem, who were aged 11 and 12 at the time of the alleged offences - were in court. Gadd insists he did nothing wrong with the girls when they went to his rented house in Vung Tau, a coastal resort town 90 miles south of the capital, Ho Chi Minh City.

They are expected to say Gadd kissed and caressed them after inviting them to the rented bungalow. Gadd insists he was teaching the girls English and considered them like his " grandchildren", even though they stayed the night several times.

A verdict following the trial, which is being held in private, is expected to be announced tomorrow. The first witness was a 19-year-old Vietnamese woman who was allegedly Gadd's "fixer".

Gadd was escorted outside for a lunch break after three hours of evidence. More than 50 reporters outside shouted two questions: "Are the girls lying?" and "Did you plead innocent?" He nodded.

The case is being heard by a judge and two jurors of the People's Court. He has been in custody since he was seized in Ho Chi Minh City on 19 November trying to board a flight.

During the criminal investigation, police considered whether to charge him with child rape - which carries the death penalty - but could not find enough evidence.

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

Prosecutors, however, decided to proceed with the case. Under Vietnamese law, payments are considered "compensation" that counts towards lessening any sentence.

Gadd served half of a fourmonth jail term in Britain in 1999 for having 4,000 pornographic pictures of young children on his computer.

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