Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia

Former Rock Star Glitter Back in London, Demand for Police Protection Turned Down

by Gopalan on Aug 23 2008 10:51 PM

Former British rock star and a convicted paedophile Gary Glitter returned home Friday. His demand for police protection round-the-clock has been turned down, and he has been told to sign sex offenders register.

He tried to wriggle out of the register business, saying it was a violation of his human rights, but was sternly told by a judge to either register within three days - or face a jail term.

By signing the register, Glitter will be required to tell authorities where he plans to live, inform police within three days if he changes his name or address. He must also disclose if he plans to spend more than seven days away from home or to travel outside Britain for more than three days.

If he breaks the terms of his registration, he could face a prison sentence of up to five years.

Despite Home Secretary Jacqui Smith saying earlier this week that she did not believe Glitter should be allowed to leave the country again, he is not yet subject to an official foreign travel ban or any formal court-ordered supervision preventing him from approaching children.

However, he is expected to be monitored under multi-agency public protection arrangements.

One of their first actions will be to tell community leaders in the area in which Glitter will live - such as headteachers, leisure centre managers, employers and landlords - that he has moved to the area.

Advertisement
Glitter said he feared for his safety and demanded police protection - costing thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money - before leaving Heathrow airport by car for a secret location. But he didn’t obtain any safehouse guarded by the police.

A spokesman for the London Metropolitan police said: "He is not being treated any differently from any other person in these circumstances."

Advertisement
David Corker, Glitter's solicitor, said that the singer rejected his conviction in Vietnam as a "charade" - calling it a "show trial" - and saying that he will prove his innocence. He has a 21-day window to appeal.

When asked why Glitter had paid off the families of his young female victims in Vietnam, Corker said he did not have enough information to answer.

Glitter had been released from prison in Vietnam on Tuesday after serving two years and three months in jail for abusing two young girls.

Having failed to gain entry to Thailand on two occasions and Hong Kong once, Glitter eventually agreed to fly to London.

The lawyer insisted his client was "pleased" to be back in the UK, despite the farcical three-day hunt for another country that would let him in.

Meanwhile, a senior NHS source said that the former singer would be an unwelcome patient at hospital - although doctors would not be able to turn him away.

Glitter has said he wants to receive treatment for a heart condition and his lawyer claimed he was "not a well man" and may be suffering from tuberculosis.

The source said: "Every hospital in London is very worried about having him as a patient."



Source-Medindia
GPL


Advertisement