Gary Glitter finally arrived in Britain yesterday – claiming he was the victim of a ‘show trial’ and that his human rights were breached.
The shamed pop star paedophile was given VIP treatment at Heathrow and smirked as he was fast-tracked through the airport with a six-strong police escort.
He avoided the cameras and even ducked out of a court appearance, sending a lawyer in his place to argue he should not have to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Glitter, 64, convicted of molesting two Vietnamese girls aged ten and 11, brazenly insisted he was innocent and called his 2006 trial in Vietnam a ‘travesty of justice’.
He trotted out a series of pleas for sympathy, including claiming he might have contracted tuberculosis while in prison in the Far East.
He is demanding round-the-clock police protection because he fears he could be attacked to avenge his crimes against children.
It could cost taxpayers £50,000 a year to protect him if police decide there are credible threats against his life.
Over the next few days, Scotland Yard will carry out a risk assessment.
Despite fears that he could re-offend, Glitter had vanished within hours of arriving in the UK.
An airport insider said he had been led through a tunnel before leaving by car, while police sources said he was now ‘no longer in London’.
He has three days to provide police with a permanent address. Officers are understood to be aware of his current location.
In theory, there is nothing to stop him going abroad again.
If he went to Europe he would have free movement with his UK passport. Alternatively, he could be staying with a friend in Britain.
His lawyer David Corker said: ‘I have no information about whether he will travel abroad but, realistically, what country is going to accept him?
'I know where he is – but I’m not going to say.’
Glitter landed at Heathrow shortly after 7am but hid in the terminal building for hours. He dispatched Mr Corker to Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court where a hearing was scheduled to deal with a Notification Order applied for by the Metropolitan Police to help them monitor Glitter, real name Paul Gadd.
Mr Corker argued that his client should not immediately be put on the Sex Offenders’ Register because his Vietnam conviction was flawed and passed in a country with an abysmal human rights record.
He said: ‘Mr Gadd wants me to say that he didn’t commit the offences for which he was convicted.
'It was a show trial and he had no opportunity to put his defence forward.’
Mr Corker applied for a six-week postponement but District Judge David Simpson rejected the claims and ordered Glitter to sign the register within three days.
The judge said ‘Mr Gadd has sought to avoid the jurisdiction of this court’, referring to Glitter’s attempts to dodge deportation to Britain.
He now has three days in which to register with police his name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.
He must tell them if he intends to stay at any other address for more than seven days. He can travel abroad without restriction for up to three days, but for any longer he is required to give police details.
Nonetheless, he remains free to travel anywhere in the world that will have him – making a mockery of tough talk by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith who exploited Glitter’s return to trumpet new measures to clamp down on paedophiles indulging in ‘sex tourism’.
No comments:
Post a Comment