Gary Glitter Abuse Trial Opens

The disgraced glam rock star Gary Glitter went on trial in Vietnam today accused of molesting two young girls.

Glitter, 61, whose real name is Paul Gadd, faces up to seven years’ imprisonment if found guilty of committing obscene acts, including kissing and fondling, with a 10-year-old and 11-year-old at his rented house in the southern port city of Vung Tau last year.

The former musician, who served two months in jail in Britain in 1999 for having 4,000 pornographic images of children on his computer, denies the charges. He says he was teaching the girls English at his beachfront home when the allegations emerged last year.

Glitter, wearing black trousers, shirt and cap, made a two-fingered victory sign and said "innocent" as he made his way through a crowd of reporters and photographers into the courthouse in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Court officials have said the trial, which is closed to the public - including the British embassy - will last less than two days.

The verdict is expected to be read publicly tomorrow.

When the court adjourned for lunch, Glitter was escorted outside where reporters shouted two questions: "Are the girls lying?" and "Did you plead innocent?" He nodded in response to both questions.

Yesterday, Glitter’s lawyer, Le Thanh Kinh, said his client maintained his innocence in the case.

"He says he has not committed any crime," he said. "I will do my best to defend him," though he added it will be "very difficult".

Glitter has been in police custody since November 19, when he was seized in Ho Chi Minh City trying to board a flight out of the country. Police confiscated his laptop, which according to reports had hundreds of pornographic pictures on it.

During the criminal investigation, police had considered whether to charge Glitter with child rape, which carries a maximum penalty of death, but said there was insufficient evidence.

The girls’ families wrote to the court in December, asking that charges be dropped altogether after Glitter paid $2,000 (£1,140) to each of them.

Prosecutors decided to go ahead with the case anyway, and under Vietnam’s legal system, the payments are considered "compensation" that counts toward lessening any sentence.

Glitter, who hit his musical peak in the 1970s, had hits with Leader of the Gang and Do You Wanna Touch, but is perhaps best known for his anthem Rock and Roll", which is still played at sporting events.

In 1999, Glitter served half of a four-month sentence for possessing child pornography. He then went to Cambodia but was expelled in 2002. Cambodian officials did not specify a reason for their decision.