Glitter barred from Cambodia forever
Disgraced popstar Gary Glitter has been permanently barred from Cambodia after his recent arrest and deportation, the government confirmed today.
Glitter, who was convicted of child pornography offences in the UK in 1999, was expelled from the Southeast Asian country on December 28.
“He won’t be allowed to come back again,” Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said in Phnom Penh.
The 57-year-old – real name Paul Gadd – had been staying in Cambodia until police caught him living without proper registration in April.
A subsequent public outcry forced him to leave, but he later returned and was living in an unknown location before he was arrested on Boxing Day.
Khieu Sopheak did not know where Glitter was headed. And he declined to discuss details of the arrest, saying only that Glitter “had violated Cambodian laws”. No charges were filed.
Women’s Affairs Minister Mu Sochua, who had asked the Interior Ministry to hunt down and expel Glitter, said his presence had hurt the country’s image.
In November 1999, Glitter was sentenced to four months in jail at Bristol Crown Court after pleading guilty to 54 offences of making indecent photographs of children under 16 on the Internet.
He served half his sentence and was placed on the sex offenders register after his release. More than a year ago he moved to Phnom Penh, which has gained a reputation as a centre for paedophiles.
