Vietnam- Former British rocker Gary Glitter, who remains in Vietnamese custody, has denied allegations that he engaged in sex with two girls, including a minor, police officials said Tuesday.
“In the questioning session Monday, he denied that he committed lewd acts with the girls,” said a police officer from Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on condition of anonymity.
Glitter, who rose to fame as a glam rocker in the 1970s, is perhaps best known for “Do You Wanna Touch” and “Rock and Roll (Part 2),” which is still frequently played at sporting events.
Authorities decided to extend Glitter’s detention at a prison outside Vung Tau by another three days so they could continue their investigation. Glitter has not been charged with any crime.
A day earlier, police said two girls, ages 12 and 18, claimed in interviews that they had sex with Glitter at his home in this seaside resort town. There were conflicting media reports that the second girl had not yet turned 18, the age of consent in Vietnam. The girls’ accusations are currently being investigated, police said.
Glitter, 61, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, had been stopped by immigration officials at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City over the weekend as he was trying to flee the country for Bangkok. He was later turned over to provincial police in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau, police and immigration officials said.
Police had been searching for Glitter since he fled his rented home in Vung Tau on Nov. 12 amid allegations that he committed lewd acts with a minor.
Under Vietnamese law, sexual contact with a minor under the age of 18 carries varying penalties, depending on the charge. Child rape carries the maximum penalty of death before a firing squad.
If Glitter is charged and convicted of sex with a 12-year-old, regardless of whether he had her consent, that would still be considered child rape under Vietnamese law, Vietnamese police have said.
The case has been highly publicized in state-controlled media, which had reported that Glitter was seen in Vung Tau with several teenage girls, whom he invited to his home, since moving to the area in March.
Tuesday’s Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper quoted Glitter telling police that he had been duped by the girls. “When we met, they all said they were over 20 years of age,” Glitter was quoted as saying.
On Monday, the paper had reported that the two girls said they had been paid for sex with Glitter. The 12-year-old told police she had sex three times with Glitter, who paid her 150,000 dong ($10) each time, the paper said. Police have refused to confirm whether either of the youths claimed they were paid for sex.
Neighbors on Monday said they were surprised to read the allegations against Glitter in the newspaper. They said the only problem they ever had with him was that he sometimes brought home friends to his oceanside villa and sang songs too loudly.
“Before this, I never suspected him” of doing anything he’s accused of, said Tran Cong Khanh, 48. “I thought he just liked children.”
Khanh said Glitter had been living in the house for about a year. In recent months, two girls who appeared to be in their mid-teens visited frequently and were often heard laughing or talking loudly at Glitter’s swimming pool, Khanh said.
Glitter was convicted in Britain in 1999 of possessing child pornography and served half of a four-month jail sentence before being released. He later went to Cambodia and was permanently expelled in 2002, though Cambodian officials did not specify his crime or file charges.