Gary Glitter escorted by Vietnamese police on Thursday
Photo: Paula Bronstein/ Getty Images

British glam rocker Gary Glitter was sentenced to three years in prison by a Vietnamese court Friday (March 3) after being found guilty of molesting two 11-year-old girls. The 61-year-old singer was sentenced following a one-day, closed-door trial and proclaimed his innocence after the verdict was read, according to a Reuters report.

Glitter (born Paul Gadd), who has been in jail since November, could be free by December if he wins early parole, according to his lawyer, Le Thanh Kinh.

"I'm innocent," shouted the bald-headed, goateed Glitter, who is best known for his towering pompadour haircut and the early '70s hit "Rock & Roll, Pt. 2," which is still widely used as a hype song at sporting events around the world.

Judge Hoang Thanh Tung described in graphic detail the offenses committed by Glitter in the southern Vietnamese resort town of Vung Tau, reportedly drawing gasps from the witnesses in the courtroom. "The court pronounces the defendant, Paul Francis Gadd, also known as Gary Glitter, guilty of engaging in lewd acts with children," Tung said.

The chief investigator in the case, Colonel Nguyen Duc Trinh, said he had recovered 2,231 images of child pornography from Glitter's computer and 31 video clips, opening the way for prosecution by police in Britain if he ends up there after his deportation. Glitter is a registered sex offender in Britain following a 1999 conviction on child pornography charges.

The files found by the Vietnamese investigators were, "mainly children making love to each other, or naked children," Trinh told reporters. "Biologically, Glitter is not a normal person. A normal person would never store such photos." Trinh said he thought Glitter might have abused more children.

Following the verdict, Glitter was overrun by a horde of photographers, according to Reuters, many of them from British tabloids. The singer protested the judge's sentence and struck out at an unnamed British newspaper, which he blamed for his legal problems.

"It's a conspiracy. You know who," Glitter said as he was escorted to prison by 10 policemen. "One of Great Britain's newspapers."

Glitter will be given credit for the time he's spent in prison since November, but Judge Tung said he could be deported from the communist Asian nation at the end of his sentence and British police could prosecute Glitter for child sex crimes committed abroad. The British authorities have already questioned Glitter in jail and have been in contact with Vietnamese authorities, according to Reuters.

The singer — who was nabbed at Ho Chi Minh airport while trying to flee the country in November — has 15 days to appeal the verdict, but hasn't decided yet if he will. He will likely serve out his sentence in the same cell he's inhabited for the past three months, which Reuters described as a "two-man cell inside a windswept concrete prison, surrounded by AK-47-toting guards, mold-encrusted walls and coils of rusting razor wire."

• Gary Glitter

British Glam rocker Gary Glitter is facing even more sex-related charges, this time alleged sex crimes against two young girls. He's already up against possession of child pornography charges stemming from an investigation launched last year.

According to the London Daily Mirror, the new charges against the 57-year old Glitter, aka Paul Gadd, involve indecent assault against a girl as young as eight between 1975 and 1977, plus three similar charges against a 15-year old girl for offences that allegedly date back to 1980 and 1981. He also faces an additional charge involving the older girl referred to only as a "very serious" sex offence.

Last year's charges stem from a computer repair incident. Glitter had sent his computer to a shop for repair, and the shop staff allegedly spotted child pornography on his hard drive and notified the authorities, who then searched his three residences. This past March, he was formally charged with 50 counts of making indecent pseudo photographs of children under the age of six.

Glitter's lawyer told the Mirror that Glitter would "vigorously contest" the new charges and added that the latest allegations surfaced only after Glitter's original arrest. The rocker is scheduled to appear in court May 18.

• Gary Glitter

British glam star Gary Glitter been officially been charged with 50 counts of making indecent pseudo photographs of children under 16, and 50 related charges of possession of those photographs, according to England's PA News.

As we previously reported (see "Gary Glitter Arrested In Porn Probe"), the 53-year-old Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested and questioned and released without being charged last November after he took his computer in for repairs and the shop staff allegedly found illicit images on his hard drive. Police later searched his homes in Somerset, England, and in London and reportedly seized more material.

The aging but still flamboyant rock star is best known for his 1972 "Rock and Roll Part II," a rock anthem-turned-sports anthem known for its memorable (and only) lyric, "hey." Most recently his music was featured on the soundtrack to the movie, "The Full Monty." He had been scheduled to appear in the Spice Girls movie, "Spice World," but his part was pulled after his arrest last fall.

The PA News reports that Glitter's lawyer is vigorously denying the charges. Glitter returns to court May 18.

• Gary Glitter

December 22 [13:00 EDT] -- Gary Glitter's U.K. tour wrapped up in front of 8000 glam fans Sunday night in Manchester, England, and it may have been the fans last chance to see him perform live on tour. Glitter billed his 25th Anniversary road trip as "A Night Out With The Boys -- Could This Be The Last Time?"

Britain's Press Association reports that Glitter, dressed in a silver jumpsuit with his trademark huge shoulderpads and high hair, made no mention of the child pornography allegations leveled against him earlier. Police reportedly found indecent photos housed on Glitter's computer last month. Glitter, a/k/a Paul Gadd, has denied the charges.

Glitter may stop touring, but he's not about to go away. He's kept himself busy since his 1970s heyday, and he's likely to continue well into the next century. He's just released a 32-track greatest hits record, and 1998 will see the release of at least one movie, a comedy called "ILoveYouLoveMeLove," and Glitter's autobiography due in April.

The rocker had been playing himself in the new Spice Girls movie singing his hit "I'm the Leader of the Gang" in a duet with the girls, but his part was cut following his arrest even though he has yet to be charged. His scene was described by a fellow actor as "Gary Glitter and the Chippendale-cloned Dreamboys" with Glitter reportedly dressed in a black sequinned catsuit, platform shoes and "boot-black aircraft carrier hair."

• Gary Glitter

November 19 [14:00 EDT] -- Seventies glam star Gary Glitter is under investigation after child pornography was found on a computer he took into a shop to get repaired.

England's Press Association reports that Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested at a store in Bristol, England. Search warrants were executed and material seized at two addresses. He was released without charges being filed, but the incident has touched off an investigation.

Glitter first hit the charts in 1972 with "Rock and Roll Part II," which still has sports fans around the world standing, clapping and singing along to the memorable (and only) lyric, "hey."

Glitter's spokeman confirmed the arrest to the PA News in England but emphasized that the rock star has not been charged.

• Gary Glitter